Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound
by M.W. Roach
Summary: Tween Kakashi is forced to accept the fact that his older sister has fallen in love with the foolishly handsome Lord of the Inuzuka Clan. Things become complicated when their daughter, Kaliana, finds herself orphaned and alone with only Kakashi to turn to
1. ACT I: Ch:1 Hello Gorgeous!

**Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound  
By: MW Roach**

**Part 1: The Making of a Little Spark**

**Chapter 1: Hello, Gorgeous!**

* * *

_The scent of chamomile tea, garlic and rubbing alcohol filled the small 2-bedroom cabin. Young Kakashi sat patiently in an armchair while his sister, Akita, gathered rags and medical items to serve her injured little brother._

_Akita was only Kakashi's half-sister, as their father had a short relationship with a woman a few years before he met Kakashi's mother. The 2 siblings weren't close when their father was alive, but after the White Fang ended his own life, Akita and Kakashi bonded, as they had no one else to turn to._

_Akita sat down on a stool near her brother. "Alright, Kakashi. Let's see the prognosis."_

_Kakashi removed his mask, revealing a throbbing, bloody lip._

_"One split lip…" She noted as she rubbed some ointment on his bottom lip. Kakashi, flinching from the sting the ointment left on his sore lip, then lifted both hands; his knuckles swollen and purple. "Eight bruised knuckles…" Akita stated as she sat a large bowl of diluted witch hazel on his lap. "Soak them." She ordered as she examined his black left eye. "One black eye." She rolled her own eyes as she handed him a slab of meat. "Hold that over your eye now, it will bring down the swelling. Anything else?"_

_"Three broken ribs." Kakashi stated quietly, not wanting to upset the pain in his lip._

_Again, Akita rolled her eyes as she got to her feet. "Oh, honestly Kakashi. You're only 12 years old and it looks like you went 10 rounds with Muhammad Ali."_

_"I could kick Ali's ass." Kakashi mumbled as Akita entered the kitchen, returning with a tea tray._

_"Sure you can." She chuckled as she poured him a cup. Kakashi went to sip it, but Akita held up her hand to stop him. She dropped a straw in the cup. "There now. This way, the hot tea won't touch your lip and burn it."_

_Kakashi smiled at his sister as he sipped his tea gingerly. "You're too good to me, Sis. I appreciate you looking after me. It's better then being in that stuffy hospital."_

_"You wouldn't need to be here or in any hospital if you weren't a ninja." Akita grunted as she moved some hair from Kakashi's eyes._

_"Please don't start that again, Akita." Kakashi begged._

_"Well it's true! The world fills your head with the aspirations of being a ninja, and where does it get you? Bed ridden at your sisters' house with 3 broken ribs and a split lip. Where did it get father?"_

_"Akita, please…"_

_"Suicide." She finished. "But he had to first make children." Her voice lowered and became sad. "How can one do that? Pledging your life to being a ninja for the good of humanity is one thing. But to have the nerve to think that you could have a family after that…to be so selfish as to bring children into the world just so you could die in the line of duty and leave them orphaned…that's putrid. Your heart is only big enough for one true love. If that true love is battle, then you have no room for family. Trying to make room is a waste of time, and ultimately, you must choose between them. They always choose battle." Akita turned to her brother, her eyes moist. "When you grow up, little brother, you will have the urge to make your own family; to take in a wife and have children of your own. Don't do it, Kakashi. Don't subject those children to the pain of losing their father to his ninja-obsession. Because it will only make them want to be ninja, but not for the reason you wanted to be one…simply for vengeance. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't wish that fate on even my worst enemies…for their child to become blood thirsty for revenge."_

_Kakashi didn't like having this conversation, but he couldn't help but feel his sister's words were partly true._

_"When your older, Kakashi, and you feel the need for company, don't hesitate to enjoy the pleasurable companionship of the painted tarts in the street. Do what you want with them, but never marry, and never EVER have children. You've already chosen your love."_

_Kakashi blushed and turned away. "Jeez, Akita…"_

_"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you." Akita sighed as she handed Kakashi the remote to the T.V. "I'm going out to pick cannabis in the water field. I'll make tea and brownies for you. The herb will ease your pain."_

_"Sounds good." Kakashi agreed as he turned on the TV._

_Akita headed out the door with a large basket. Before closing it behind her, she called to Kakashi._

_"And don't even try putting on the Spice channel because I've blocked it with a secret password. I changed it because you figured it out last time, you little perv. Watch cartoons or something."_

_"Yes, Akita." Kakashi rolled his eyes. The door slammed and Akita's footsteps could be heard leaving the porch, and fading away. Kakashi grabbed the remote and flipped the channel to a black screen. 4 blinking bars flashed, requiring a password. Kakashi got to work typing in all known variations he could think of in an attempt to unlock his favorite dirty channel._

* * *

_The sun shone its bright golden rays down on a large, wet field. There were several women in the field picking all kinds of water plants, most of them being cannabis. All the women were dressed in flowing kimonos that were tied up to the knee, so they wouldn't become soaked. Some of the women had black hair, others brown, others red, others blonde; but only Akita had long, silver hair that she tied in a high ponytail. She wore a kimono as well, but not brown or tan like the other women. Hers was a lovely shade of blue with violet sashes draped over her shoulders and one tied around her waist. Her azure eyes matched her dress. As she entered the water field, most of the women would exclaim happily. Others, however, gathered their things and left._

_Today, 5 other women were in the field. Upon seeing Akita, 2 of them; blondes; began to hastily gather their belongings._

_"Oh, look! It's Akita!" The youngest girl, a redhead with shoulder-length hair named Sorva called happily as she waved to her friend._

_"Hello, Akita!" Another young lady called; her hair was very short and black. Her name was Takede._

_"Good morning, Akita!" A slightly older woman called. She had her long sable hair in a bun with her bangs hanging over her eyes. Her name was Haraiyu and she was the oldest in the group._

_"Good morning, ladies!" Akita called to her friends as she pulled down her mask. She noticed the 2 last women scurry away. "Where are they going in such a hurry?"_

_"Remember that little conversation you had with them last week?" Takede asked. "The one about them not taking enough action when their 'deadbeat' husbands come home late?"_

_"Let me guess…they did take action, their husbands sweet-talked their way out of it, and then forbid them from speaking with me ever again?" Akita asked as she went around plucking the swollen, fragrant buds from their stalks._

_"Akita loses more friends that way!" Sorva giggled to Takede._

_"Akita, when are you going to marry?" Haraiyu asked, concerned. "There are so many handsome bachelors in Konoha."_

_"Most of them being what?" Akita snapped._

_"Ninjas." The 3 girls answered in unison._

_"That's right, and you all know very well how I feel about ninjas."_

_"So what will you do, Akita? Never marry? Never have children?" Haraiyu questioned. "You know, women have the same urges men do. How will you satisfy them? Relations before marriage?"_

_"Haraiyu!" Sorva exclaimed in shock. "What a vulgar statement!"_

_Akita smiled to herself. "Why on earth would I need to have relations before marriage when I can simply sit on the washer during the spin cycle?"_

_All three women gasped in horror. "**Akita**!" They shouted in surprise and disgust, their cheeks turning a bright shade of crimson._

_"Now THAT was a completely vulgar statement!" Takede hissed._

_Akita simply laughed hysterically at her own dirty joke as she made her way to the edge of the field, which connected with a dirt road._

_--------------------------------_

_Along the main road was a young man with cinnamon colored hair riding a very large, muscular stallion. The horse was a good 16 hands high, and was golden-chrome with some dapples on his rump. He had a thick white blaze that ran from between his eyes down to his muzzle, which was also white. He sported a white sock on his right foreleg. His mane was white as snow with a black streak in the center and in the forelock; it flowed down to his knees. His white tail also sported a black streak. It was thick and dragged along the ground. He had one blue eye and one brown eye. The young man riding him wore all tan garments with two golden tassels hanging from the collar of his garb. A large red stripe painted beneath each of his shimmering green eyes indicated his connection with the Inuzuka clan. He stopped his steed as he heard the sound of giggling women coming from a small dirt road that split from the main road. The young man rubbed his goatee in interest._

_"You hear that, Katavi? Girls…" The young man looked ahead at the road that lead into Konoha, then back down to the dirt road that lead to the private farms. He smiled a devilish smile. "I don't think the Hokage would mind if we arrived a little late. We'll just tell him…something came up. What do you think, Katavi?"_

_The horse tossed his head and nickered loudly. He began pawing at the dirt road impatiently. The young man flashed his charming smile again._

_"Good boy! Let's go!" He called before giving the horse a gentle bump in the sides. Picking up immediately on the cue, the horse loped down the road._

--------------------------------------

_It wasn't long before the handsome young man came across the water field. There, he spotted 3 women. He zeroed in on their hands from afar. All of them were wearing marriage bands. With a disappointed groan, he scanned the water field again. To his surprise, he spotted a silver-haired girl close by. Her mask had been folded down, revealing 2 pouty pink lips. The young man let out a big sigh, as he became lost in the shimmering sapphire pools of her eyes. Her long silver hair flowed like wheat grass in the wind. Never before had any woman bewitched him as this sparkling rose of a woman did. He clicked to his horse, who walked forward towards the beautiful young girl. He pulled on the reins and brought his steed to a halt before her._

"_Good morning." He greeted._

_The woman rose slowly and turned ever so slightly to the man. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. He was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. His face looked as though the angels in heaven had sculpted it. His rich-brown hair came to just below his ear, leaving just enough bangs to flatter his painfully handsome face. She blushed and lifted the mask back over her face to hide her burning cheeks, not once tearing her eyes from his deep emerald oracles._

"_Hello." She replied shyly._

"_If you don't mind me asking, what's a delicate flower such as yourself doing toiling in the fields at this early hour?"_

"_And just who is it that's asking?" She snapped in her usual defensive tone._

"_Where are my manners? I'm Kamachi Inuzuka; 99__th__ Generation Inuzuka Clan." He said with a bow. "May I ask the name of the fragrant rose whose company I am currently enjoying?" A charming smirk crept across his face._

"_I'm Akita." She answered with a head-bow. "Akita Hatake."_

"_Akita Hatake…" He repeated. "What a beautiful name for an even more beautiful girl. Do you live around here?"_

"_Just over there." She pointed across the field to a small house on a hill. "And what about you? I've never seen you around here before…if I had, I certainly would've remembered."_

"_I have an estate not too far from here…about 7 miles."_

"_An estate? My, my…rich parents?" She inquired, seeing as this man was a bit young to own an estate._

_Kamachi laughed. "Well, I try to keep them comfortable, but I don't live with them, if that's what you're asking. They don't live around here. I live alone."_

"_If you don't mind me asking, how does someone as young as you own an estate?"_

"_15 is still considered young? Hmm… anyway, it's really quite easy…I am the Lord of the Inuzuka Clan, after all."_

"_Oh…" She reacted surprised. "You failed to mention that. Well, Lord Inuzuka, where're you headed today?"_

"_Well, I __WAS__ going to meet with the Hokage for business, but I'd much rather take you out to lunch."_

"_I'm busy." She turned away teasingly._

"_Are you really?" He asked suspiciously. "May I ask what it is that's keeping you so busy?"_

_"My little brother. He's injured and bed-ridden." She looked up at him with innocence, as though he was an awful brute for asking such a question. "He got into a fight with another boy at the Ninja Academy."_

"_Oh." Kamachi blushed, feeling a bit guilty for doubting her. "Forgive me. Is there anything that I can do?"_

"_And just what can you possibly do?" Her sassy tone returned._

"_I do know some Medical Jutsus."_

"_Ah, I see…" Akita had real disappointment in her voice. "You're a ninja."_

"_I…wouldn't say that exactly…" Kamachi stammered, picking up on her obvious disdain. "I'm simply required to have certain knowledge of useful jutsus, like the medical ones. It's my obligation as a Lord."_

_Akita looked up hopefully. "Truly?"_

"_Honestly." Kamachi smiled. "But I really must ask…why do ninjas displease you so?"_

"_Oh, it isn't that I hate them…I have a high respect for them…I just don't think they should get married and have kids. I personally wouldn't be caught dead with a ninja in any romantic way."_

"_Well, I assure you, Lady Akita…I abhor violence."_

_Akita leaned forward, anxious to invite him over, but turned away at the last moment._

"_I'm sorry young Lord. I've kept you too long already. You mustn't keep the Hokage waiting." She began walking away. "By the way…" She stopped and cocked her head slightly. "That is a magnificent beast you have between your legs."_

_Kamachi grinned and patted his horses' neck. "Yes, Katavi is a purebred Desert Horse, bred in the Sand Village."_

_Akita turned to Kamachi, her eyes suggestive and her voice alluring. "I wasn't talking about the horse." She turned away again, a tiny smirk forming beneath her mask. _

_It took the handsome Lord a minute to get the joke, but once he did, his eyes went wide; his cheeks burned. "Oh!" He exclaimed as he went to dismount too quickly, falling over the side of Katavi with his foot stuck in the stirrup._

_He frantically pulled himself free and fell hard on his back. It didn't stop him, though, as he leapt into the cold water in the field and tried anxiously to follow Akita, who strolled through the icy water with no problem. Katavi began pacing wildly along the road, whinnying loudly._

"_Wait there, Katavi!" Kamachi tried to calm the frantic stallion, who ignored his masters' requests. The young Lord, meanwhile, struggled to keep up with Akita in the mucky stew below the still water. "Akita, wait! Please!" He called to her. _

_She turned in surprise as Kamachi finally reached her, hunched over to catch his breath._

"_Oh my!" She shouted. "What on earth are you doing! Look at you! You're soaking wet! How are you going to meet with the Hokage looking like that?"_

"_I'm not worried about it." He panted. "I want to help you with your little brother. Please, I insist." He begged._

_Akita rolled her eyes. "Well…if you really want to…"_

"_Trust me…I really want to." He grabbed her hand and stared into her ocean-blue eyes. A shadow suddenly cast down on the both of them. Kamachi brought his eyes up to see the underbelly of his horse. "Watch out!" He cried as he shoved Akita backwards. _

_The horse landed directly on top of Kamachi with a huge splash. Akita, who was now sitting in the water due to Kamachi's heroic toss, frantically pulled herself to her feet. She began pushing the horse. _

"_Back up!" She pleaded, slapping the horses' chest. "Back up!"_

_The obedient horse took a few steps back. Kamachi exploded to the surface, gasping wildly for air and choking on every bug that happened to be in his oxygen space. Akita couldn't help but put her hand over her mouth and giggle a little._

"_Are you okay?" She chuckled._

"_SUPER!" Kamachi answered in an agitated tone as he glared at his horse._

_Akita laughed some more. "Good grief! Now look at you! Covered in mud!" She laughed again. "We're going to have to get you out of those clothes! There's no way I'm letting you anywhere near the Hokage looking like that!"_

_The thought of her getting him out of his clothes caused the young Lord to change his glare to a smirk. He slowly pulled himself out of the water._

"_If you insist." He smiled._

"_Trust me…" She giggled again, grabbing his hand in her free hand. "I insist."_

"_Are you sure your parents won't mind?" He questioned._

"_Oh, I live alone. The house is mine."_

"_Really? On your own at this age? How do you make it?"_

"_I'm 17, but I've been on my own since I was 15. And I work, which is how I'm able to pay for the house."_

"_What kind of work do you do?"_

"_I teach World Studies at the local elementary school on Mondays and Thursdays. I also record my voice while I read aloud about the history of ancient artifacts…I then sell the tapes to the museum."_

"_You're a very responsible young lady, Akita. Your brother is lucky to live with such an amazing sister."_

"_Oh, he doesn't live with me, he just likes to hang out on the weekends and sleep over. Trust me, I don't think he could stand living with me 24/7!" She giggled. "You said earlier you were 99__th__ Generation Inuzuka. What did you mean by that?"_

"_Hmm? Oh, I am a direct relative to the progenitor of the Inuzuka Clan, Eudame Inuzuka." Kamachi answered uneasily. "Exactly 99 Generations back."_

"_Really? How interesting. It must be nice, knowing your roots, I mean."_

"_Not really." Kamachi laughed. "Eudame Inuzuka was a pretty twisted man. I'm nothing like him, and it's a good thing, too. Let's talk about something else…"_

_As they passed by, the 3 women in the field snapped their heads up, as the 2 of them were conversing quite loudly._

"_Is that Akita?" Takede asked. "Who is that dashing young man she's walking with hand and hand?"_

_Haraiyu smiled. "Whoever he is, he's quite handsome; looks rich, too. She certainly has good taste."_

"_Oh, do you think she'll marry him?" Takede asked excitedly._

"_No." Haraiyu answered simply. "She's probably just taking him home for a few hours…It's indecent if you ask me."_

"_Haraiyu! How could you say something so mean? Akita isn't like that!" Sorva interrupted. _

"_She's right." Takede agreed. "If anything, it was probably love at first sight."_

"_Oh, how romantic!" Sorva swooned._

"_Fairy tales." The older woman, Haraiyu scorned. "I'll bet everything I own that he'll have her on her back in the sack by the end of the day."_

"_And __I'll__ bet everything __I own__ that they're in love and will get married before the end of the year!" Sorva stated with a nod._

"_It's a good thing you're not a gambling woman, Sorva. You'd lose everything." Haraiyu finished as she turned and left._

_Takede walked up to Sorva and put her hand on her shoulder. She leaned over and whispered._

"_I just wonder what young Kakashi is going to think when she brings that man home!"_

* * *


	2. ACT I: Ch:2 Brotherly Love

_**Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound**_

_**Act 1: The Making of a Little Spark**_

_**Chapter 2: Brotherly Love**_

* * *

_Kakashi sighed and hung his head. He'd tried 32 different codes and all of them were wrong. _

"_My sisters' the devil…" He whined as he typed in 0-6-6-6. To his shock, the screen flashed and an image of a woman in ecstasy appeared on the screen. He looked down at the remote for a moment, then sat back in his seat, eyes glued to the television. "Sweet…Bed Bunnies 4…"_

_No sooner did Kakashi finally relax, the front door flung open, causing him to jump, and the remote to go flying across the room towards the kitchen. Knowing how much trouble he would be in if she caught him watching the forbidden channel again, he quickly pulled himself up and swung his leg across the TV, turning it off with his big toe. But the immediate action caused him severe pain in his side as he slowly brought himself back into the chair, moaning loudly. _

_Akita entered the room and dropped the basket of herbs. She ran to his side upon hearing his painful cries._

"_Kakashi! What happened? Are you alright?" She began fluffing the pillow that supported his side._

"_I'm…fine…" He groaned. "I…just…dropped the remote. I tried to go and get it…"_

"_You little fool! You know you can't move! What were you thinking?" She scolded._

"_I'm…sorry." His eyes darted nervously. Normally, she could tell immediately when he was lying, but something seemed to be distracting her._

"_Hey, little buddy!" A new, masculine voice rang out. _

_Kakashi looked up and jumped again at the new presence of a very attractive man standing in the living room. _

"_Who the Hell are you?" He snapped._

"_Kakashi!" Akita scolded again. "Where's your manners? This is Lord Kamachi Inuzuka." She said his name with such pride as she looked lovingly at him. "He wants to help you."_

"_What if I don't want his help?" Kakashi hissed; his eyes narrowed._

_Akita prepared to scold him again, but Kamachi interrupted._

"_Why don't I just stay here for a while and get to know him a little better? Nobody wants a stranger to touch them, after all."_

"_Well, alright. You two get to know each other while I wash your clothes."_

_Kamachi began to disrobe slowly. Kakashi's eyebrow slowly ascended. _

_This doesn't feel appropriate… __He thought to himself, shaking his head._

_Akita meanwhile, looked as though she needed to be hosed down, as she watched with great interest as Kamachi stripped down to a pair of boxer shorts. He removed his shirt, revealing rippling muscles from his chest to his abs. Even his arms bulged like tiny mountains. Akita swooned at the magnificent sight of the well-built young Lord. Kakashi, sensing his sisters' impure thoughts, covered his eyes in embarrassment. _

"_Well…" Akita sighed as she slowly reached for the clothes. "I'll just…get these cleaned up in a jiffy…" She giggled as she bundled the dirty clothes under her arms, never once taking her eyes off of Kamachi's glistening body._

_As if to emphasize their lusty thoughts, Katavi gave a long and very loud whinny from outside. Kakashi now had both hands covering his face as his muffled groans of shame fell on deaf ears. He peeked out from between his fingers. The 2 of them looked as though they were going to devour each other in the room that very second._

**"**_**ARE YOU GOING TO DO HIS FREAKIN' LAUNDRY OR NOT!?"** Kakashi finally lost it._

_The sudden outburst caused them both to jump, but at least it snapped them out of their daze._

"_Right…" Akita gasped out. "I'm going to go…yeah…" She couldn't even finish her sentence as she turned and walked away. She stopped when she came to the living room window, then blushed and walked by Kamachi again. "Laundry room is that way." She giggled as she passed him and disappeared behind a door._

_Once she was out of sight, Kamachi turned his attention to Kakashi, who just sat there, arms crossed, eyes narrow and brows furrowed. Kamachi grinned and walked over to the perturbed young ninja and took a seat in the stool Akita was seated in earlier._

"_So, little brother Kakashi…can you show me where it hurts?" He asked in a kind, but condescending tone._

_Kakashi lifted his hand, as though to point out the area that pained him, but to Kamachi's dismay, the preteen boy simply flipped him the middle finger with a smile on his busted up little face._

"_Ah, I see." Kamachi grinned. "You think my intentions with your sister are impure, don't you? Well, you needn't worry about that. I think your sister is beautiful and kind and spunky. If we do go out sometime, I promise I'll treat her very well. What do you think of that?"_

_Kakashi flipped him off again, only this time, with both hands. Kamachi simply laughed._

"_How old are you, Kakashi?" He asked, amused._

"_Old enough to stab you in your smug face." Kakashi growled. "How old are __you__?"_

"_Old enough to be your brother-in-law." Kamachi grinned._

_Kamachi wasn't expecting the bed-ridden boy to lash out with lightning-fast reflexes, but in a flash, Kakashi's right hand was tightly gripped around his larynx. With a sharp tug, the ninja pulled the young Lord's face close to his own and stared into his eyes with malevolent intent._

"_Cute, smart ass. But I know exactly what your intentions are with my sister, and if I were you, I'd get the hell out of here before something bad happens, got it?"_

"_Pretty…big talk…for someone…who's recovering…from their own ass-whooping." Kamachi gasped out with a grin._

_Kakashi tightened his grip. "If it weren't for the fact that my knuckles are killing me, I'd punch you in your pretty face."_

"_So, what are you going to do? You gonna kiss me instead?" Kamachi smiled again, puckering his lips teasingly._

_Kakashi didn't find the devilish young Lord's antics very amusing, and tossed him backward with a mighty force. However, Kakashi didn't expect Kamachi to stumble over the rug and go crashing through the living room window._

"_Is everything alright out there?" Akita called from the noisy laundry room. "I thought I heard a crash!"_

"_No, no!" Kakashi called back nervously. "Everything's fine, Sis! We're just…playing a little game, that's all!"_

"_Oh, good! I'm so happy to hear you two are getting along!" Akita finished, closing the door._

_Kamachi slowly pulled himself to his feet, rubbing his head. Kakashi smiled and tilted his own head curiously._

"_You hurt yourself?" He asked with fake concern and an even faker smile._

"_You just threw me through a window!" Kamachi groaned, rubbing his hand down his neck and whipping it around, as through trying to fix something loose. "But, no. I think I'm okay."_

"_Too bad." Kakashi nodded. "Now, leave."_

"_What…in my boxer shorts?" Kamachi looked down at his body. "C'mon little man, at least wait until Akita gets out of her clothes."_

"_**WHAT!?**__" Kakashi roared._

_Kamachi tossed his head back and laughed, blushing slightly. "I meant wait until she gets into mine."_

"_You son of a…"_

"_No, that's not what I meant either! See, you got me nervous and the words are coming out all screwy…"_

"_You should consider yourself lucky I can't move…" Kakashi hissed. A sudden idea popped into his head. "I can't move…but my Shadow Clones can…" He lifted his hands to perform a handseal._

"_Kita! Kakashi's making handseals in the house!" Kamachi cried loudly._

_Kakashi couldn't believe the utter treachery as the laundry room door flew open and Akita's voice permeated the house._

"_**KAKASHI, YOU PUT THOSE HANDS DOWN OR SO HELP ME!**__" She roared from the back of the house. "__**YOU **__**KNOW**__** THE RULES!**__"_

_Kakashi slowly put his hands in his lap, but his glare never left Kamachi, who simply shrugged as he leaned on the windowsill. Kakashi narrowed his eyes._

"_You narc, what did you just call my sister?"_

"_Hmm? Oh, Kita! Yes, '__A__kita' is a fine name, but I like names that start with 'K'; like yours, for example. She doesn't seem to mind it, and I think it suits her."_

"_You know my sister for 20 minutes and you changed her frickin' name?"_

"_It's not a change…it's a variation. 'Kita' is short for '__A__kita'. I see no harm in that."_

_Kakashi simply continued his harsh stare at the arrogant Inuzuka Lord. Kamachi leaned over the window again and smiled. "You ready to be pals now?"_

_He quickly dodged the bowl of witch hazel Kakashi let fly through the gaping window. Kamachi peeked from the side cautiously. "I take that as a 'no'?"_

_Kakashi pulled the slab of steak from his eye and threw that as well. Kamachi dodged it with ease, but poor Katavi was right in the line of fire. A horse can shoo away a pestering fly with the flick of it's tail, but when a chunk of meat makes contact with an unexpected stallion's rump with a sickening 'slap', the horse finds it not only shocking, but offensive. Katavi reared, tossed his head wildly and let out a roaring neigh. He turned sharply and charged the window, ears pinned. Kamachi shook his head._

"_Oh, boy. Now, you're gonna get it…"_

"_You threatening me?" Kakashi growled._

"_No." Kamachi moved out of the way. "But he is."_

_Much to Kakashi's surprise, a massive and angry horse plunged his head and neck through the window, coming just inches away from Kakashi's face. The perturbed equine proceeded to neigh loudly in the young ninja's face, bearing its flat teeth. It finished it rage-fueled rant with a heavy snort, spraying Kakashi's face with horse mucus and causing the adolescent shinobi to flip over in his chair. Satisfied, Katavi removed his head from the window and wandered off to go graze again. __Kamachi looked inside to see Kakashi moaning in pain as he lay on his back looking at the ceiling. Worried, he climbed through the window and pulled Kakashi's chair right-side-up again. Unfortunately, in doing so, it caused Kakashi to fall out of it completely. Kamachi couldn't help but flinch at the sound of Kakashi's body falling on the ground with a thud. _

"_Jeez, I'm real sorry…" He apologized, scooping up the young ninja and placing him back in the chair, despite his protests._

"_Put me down!" Kakashi struggled. "I don't need your help!" The fact that he was being held very close by another man who happened to be in his underwear didn't help the situation either._

_Kamachi ignored the boy's protests and placed him gently in the chair. He picked up the pillow that was used to support Kakashi's ribs._

"_Give me my damn pillow." Kakashi snatched it before Kamachi had a chance to hand it to him. He replaced it gingerly, but it pained him very much to shift his weight comfortably. Once he was in a semi-comfortable position, he looked back up at Kamachi, who simply stood over him, grinning that dumb, friendly grin. "What the hell was that?" Kakashi asked irritably. _

"_That was me helping you." Kamachi answered._

"_Not that." Kakashi snapped. "__**THAT**__." He pointed to the window where Katavi stood outside, grazing._

"_Oh, you mean Katavi!" Kamachi laughed. "That's my horse."_

"_Why do you have a horse? Shouldn't you have a dog? Inuzuka members are supposed to have dogs."_

"_You know, it's a funny story…" Kamachi began._

"_In that case, I don't care." Kakashi turned away._

"_Oh, come on." Kamachi insisted. "It's a great story." He sat near Kakashi's chair. Kakashi simply rolled his eyes. "Or, we could watch TV instead…" Kamachi suggested, looking for the remote._

"_No!" Kakashi shouted suddenly. "Let's hear your stupid story." He decided to humor him._

_Kamachi scooted closer to his new 'buddy' and proceeded with the story._

"_I'm sure you know that when an Inuzuka boy turns 12, he gets to go to a breeder and select a puppy. That dog is supposed to be his friend for life. Well, when I turned 12, it was my turn to pick out a best friend. So, I'm on my way to the breeders' place when I come across this guy from the Sand Village. He's a very respectable breeder of Desert Horses, and he'd just come back from a fair where he sold all but one of his yearlings. He was loading up his cart and I noticed this filthy little studcolt tied to the back of the cart. It had to be the most pathetic looking colt I ever seen. He was scrawny, dirty, untamed and spooky. I asked the man about him, and he said that he just couldn't sell this horse. No one wanted him; he was so homely!" Kamachi stopped to laugh at the memory of Katavi's puny stature. "I asked him what he was going to do with him, and the guy said the horse was worth more as meat then standing."_

_Kakashi cringed at the horrid thought. _

"_Well, I couldn't let them slaughter the poor little guy just because no could see the potential in him, so I asked the man if I could possibly buy him. The guy was pretty friendly about it, and told me to just give him what was in my pocket, and he's mine. Needless to say, I didn't wind up going to the dog breeders' place. I knew Katavi would be my best friend from that day on. Pissed my dad off though."_

"_What exactly was in your pocket?" Kakashi asked out of mere curiosity._

"_Six bucks and a pin up of Kia Fujiyama, Bed-Bunny of the Year."_

_Kakashi sat up rigid in his seat. "You bought that horse for 6 bucks __AND__ a pinup of Kia Fujiyama, Bed-Bunny of the Year? Dude, you overpaid."_

_Kamachi leaned in close. "I tried to get him for just the six bucks, but that guy…I just couldn't reason with him!"_

_Kakashi couldn't help but laugh. Pleased that he finally made the little snot happy, Kamachi laughed too. Akita entered the room, quite pleased._

"_Well, look at you two! Getting along so well!" She gleamed as she reached down and grabbed the basket of herbs, at the same time, tossing Kamachi his clean, dry clothes. She entered the kitchen. "I'm making tea and brownies. Would you like to stay and have some?" Akita offered hopefully._

_Kamachi pulled his shirt over his head, his pants already on. "You know…I really wish I could. But, I think I've kept the Hokage waiting long enough already."_

"_Oh no…" Akita groaned sadly. "Must you go?" She came from the kitchen and gripped his hands tightly._

"_Yeah…I'm sorry." He stepped closer, squeezing her hands tight._

_Kakashi cleared his throat uncomfortably in an attempt to let them know that he was still in the room. They parted, but very slowly._

"_You know…" Kamachi started. "I'd really like to come back and hang out with your awesome little brother some more. Maybe tomorrow?" _

_Kakashi raised a suspicious brow._

"_Sounds nice." Akita smiled. "Maybe sometime, I can go to your place…"_

_Kakashi raised his second brow._

"_Maybe tonight…" Kamachi whispered, causing Akita to shudder with anticipation. _

"_Ew!" Kakashi shouted in disgust. "Child still in the room here!"_

_Both Akita and Kamachi looked over at him, cheeks pink with embarrassment. They looked at each other one last time._

"_See you later." Kamachi bid his farewell, grabbing her hands in his and kissing them tenderly._

"_Better sooner then later." Akita whispered. _

"_AHEM!" Kakashi cleared his throat loudly._

_After a moment longer of staring, Kamachi left the house, mounted his horse and galloped away. Akita watched him leave, and heaved a heavy sigh before shutting the door. She jumped a little when she noticed her brother, staring at her and shaking his head shamefully. _

"_What?" She questioned._

"_What?" He mocked her surprised tone. "What do you think? I mean, Jeez, Akita, you did everything but arch your back for him!"_

"_Hey! Watch how you talk to me! This is still my house! And I'm an adult, Kakashi."_

"_You're 17." Kakashi spat. "How old is he? Did he even bother to tell you?"_

_Akita blushed and lowered her head. She murmured a number._

"_I'm sorry, what was that?" Kakashi asked, leaning forward._

"_Fifteen." She said quietly, but enough to where Kakashi could hear her._

"_Fifteen!?" He repeated in disbelief. "Seriously? Good Lord…"_

"_Oh, it's not like he's ten, Kakashi!"_

"_Might as well be!"_

_Akita stomped into the living room. "It's a 1 year difference!"_

"_2 year difference."_

"_He'll be 16 next month! It's a 1 year and 9 month difference! Besides, who the hell do you think you are? Father?"_

_Kakashi turned away, stung by the hurtful comment. Akita, too, found the remark to be in bad taste. She walked over to him and squatted near the chair, leaning her head on the arm._

"_Look, I understand you want to protect me, Kakashi, but some things are just…none of your business. This is one of those things. Please try and respect that." She took her brother's chin in her hand and brought his face to hers. "I think I'm in love with him."_

"_How do you know you're not confusing lust with love?"_

"_There's a fine line, little brother. Sometimes it's difficult to determine…other times, you just know."_

_Kakashi tore his eyes away from his sisters'. He wasn't convinced._

"_You might understand one day." She finished, standing up. Her eyes wandered to the window, where she felt a heavy breeze. Kakashi watched as his sisters' expression went from calm to shock as she cupped her hands over her gaping mouth to muffle her scream, her eyes bulging. With a shaky arm, she pointed to the window. "Wh…Wha…" She stammered, unable to form words._

_Kakashi turned around, eyes wide and jaw to the ground. "Oh." He'd forgotten all about the busted window. _

_Akita exploded. "__**WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY WINDOW!!!???**__"_

"_Umm…funny story…"_

_Akita dashed to the scene of the crime and looked out, infuriated. "__**Is that my good bowl lying in the middle of the frickin' lawn?!**__"_

_She pulled her head back in and glared at Kakashi, who was trying very hard not to laugh. A chuckle escaped his lips._

"_**It's NOT funny!**__" She roared._

"_Yeah, I know…" Kakashi agreed, trying to force away the smile that threatened to creep onto his face. "Boy, it's a good thing you have a rich new boyfriend to buy you another one." He tried to save his own skin._

_Akita's attitude changed suddenly. She smiled slyly and leaned over her little brother, dwarfing him. "Does that mean I have your blessing?"_

_Kakashi tried to lean as far away as the constricting chair would allow. "As long as it means you won't try to take advantage of me in my incapacitated state." He flinched, fearing a wailing. _

_Akita smiled warmly, knowing she had gotten what she wanted. "I think your tea is ready, little brother! Let me go pour you a cup." She said cheerfully, practically skipping into the kitchen. She came across the remote on the floor and picked it up. "Oh, wait, the news is on. I wanna see the weather…" She turned to the TV and clicked 'POWER' on the remote. Kakashi sat up in his seat, eyes wide._

"_Akita! Wait!"_

_The entire house was suddenly filled with the sounds of lovemaking as the TV flashed bright, X-rated images across the screen. Akita slowly turned to her brother, eyes narrowed. _

_Kakashi simply smiled sheepishly and blushed. "You know, you really shouldn't have this channel…"_

* * *


	3. ACT I: Ch:3 Don't Judge a Book

_**Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound**_

_**Act I: The Making of a Little Spark**_

_**Chapter 3: Don't Judge a Book**_

* * *

_Kamachi stumbled into the Hokage's chambers, out of breath and very tardy._

"_Kamachi, you're late." Sarutobi stated, his eyes closed and his pipe held tightly in his teeth._

"_I'm sorry sir…" Kamachi panted. "Something came up."_

_The Hokage laughed. "Let me guess…36'', 24'', 36''?" _

"_Oh, no sir; Much better then that. I think she's the one, if you know what I mean." Kamachi winked as he took a seat._

"_I should hope so…no other woman but a wife…or in this case, a future wife…should make a man late for an appointment. You're going to see her again, I presume?"_

"_Yes, sir. Tonight, as a matter of fact." He leaned over to fiddle with a small wood carving of a horse on the Hokage's desk. _

"_Kamachi…"_

_The young Lord brought his attention to the ancient face of the old man. "Yeah?"_

"_Do you know why I called you here today?"_

"_No sir…nobody told me anything…just to come down here."_

_Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe. "As you know, my time as Hokage is almost at its end. I had a good run, but it's time to choose my predecessor, who will begin his term when I retire."_

"_Wait a minute…you want me to help you choose?" Kamachi asked in shock._

"_No…" The Hokage stopped and tapped the ashes out of his pipe. "I want you, Kamachi, to be the next Hokage."_

_Kamachi stared into the withered face of the most powerful ninja in Konoha. "M…me?"_

"_Yes. What do you think of that?" He asked as he refilled the pipe._

"_I…I'm honored, sir…and…speechless…" Kamachi trailed, at a complete loss for words. "But why me? Wouldn't Yondaime be a better choice?" _

_Kamachi knew Yondaime was a very powerful ninja and a great leader. They had gone on a few missions together, and the young Inuzuka Lord was always impressed with Yondaime's leadership skills and quick thinking._

"_Yes." Sarutobi agreed as he took a drag from the pipe. "He is very talented and, no doubt, a viable candidate, but you're my first choice. I mean, most of Konoha doesn't even know you're a ninja, you're so good at being inconspicuous. You make certain that your work and pleasures are always separate, and your extensive knowledge of forbidden jutsus is unmatched. Not to mention your ingenuity; the weapons you create are imaginative and practical. The main question is, why wouldn't you be Hokage? You're perfect for the job."_

_Kamachi sighed and shook his head. "I'm honored, sir. Really I am…"_

"_But?"_

"_But…the girl I met today…she…she won't marry a ninja."_

"_Ah!" Sarutobi sat forward eagerly. "Don't tell me you've fallen in love with Akita Hatake?"_

_Kamachi lifted his eyes. "You…know her?"_

"_Know her? HA! Every man in Konoha knows her. You'd be hard-pressed to find one who hasn't been defeated by her biting wits! She's a mound of trouble, that one." He scratched his chin. "My goodness…she doesn't know you're a ninja, does she?"_

"_I…kinda told her I wasn't…"_

"_Kamachi…" The Hokage shook his head disapprovingly. _

"_I know, I know! But if she knew I was a ninja, she wouldn't give me the time of day!"_

"_That's true…but aren't you worried she'll find out eventually?"_

"_Sir, my own family doesn't even know what I do. I can keep it from her like I do them…but being Hokage…that's something I can't hide." Kamachi lowered his head and turned away._

"_My boy, you've only just met her. You shouldn't make a decision like this until after you've grown to know each other more."_

"_You don't understand…" Kamachi leaned over the Hokage's desk. "I'm in love with her."_

"_Love? Are you sure it isn't lust?"_

"_Yes, I'm sure. Look, after I left her house, I tried to imagine myself never seeing her again…" He paused to take a deep breath. "I felt like rolling over and dying right then and there just for thinking of something so horrible."_

"_Sounds like you've got it bad." The old man laughed as he puffed away on the pipe. _

"_Very bad."_

"_Hmm." He sat his pipe down on the desk, smoke still dancing from the bowl. "Well, Kamachi, the offer still stands. If you feel the same way in the future, then I shall choose Yondaime. But if it doesn't work out, you're still my first choice." _

"_I apologize in advance for letting you down." Kamachi said with a forced smile._

_The Hokage placed his hand on Kamachi's well-built shoulder._

"_You would have made one hell of a great Hokage, my boy. But I know you'll make a hell of a great husband, too. I give you my blessings. Especially with Akita, you'll need it." The Hokage trailed off._

"_Thank you sir." Kamachi grinned as the old man retracted his arm._

"_You've met her little brother, Kakashi, yes?"_

_Kamachi sighed and gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, I met him, too, alright…"_

_Sarutobi laughed. "That bad, huh?"_

"_Oh, no. He's not a bad kid. He's just lashing out because of his own personal problems, like most of the students at the Academy." Kamachi said with a shrug._

"_Ah, yes. His father was a great shinobi warrior, but due to some…personal distractions on the field…" The Hokage tried to sugarcoat the tragic event. "…He was stripped of rank, and eventually committed suicide."_

"_The White Fang…I've heard of him. That was Kakashi and Akita's father? How sad…poor kid." Kamachi's empathy was strong, and he couldn't help but shed a tear for the siblings, especially Kakashi._

"_You're a kind man, Kamachi…peculiar and unfitting for a ruthless ninja…but I think you're just what Akita and her brother need."_

"_You compliment me too much, sir." Kamachi blushed. "I'm sorry I can't be the next Hokage."_

"_Me too! But, I'm sure you've made the right choice."_

_The two respectable men exchanged proud stares. They ended their meeting with a bow, and Kamachi was dismissed._

* * *

_Akita darted back forth through the house, getting herself primped and proper for her late-night date with Kamachi. Kakashi sat quietly in his chair, eyes on the TV, his favorite channel once again blocked with a new password. Luckily, the cannabis tea and brownies had started to kick in, making him rather calm about the whole situation. The phone rang loudly on the desk right near his chair. He slowly reached for it, only to have Akita snatch it before he could even touch it. He gave her a momentary glare as she answered it politely._

"_Hello? Oh, hey…" Her tone was friendly, indicating she was familiar with the voice on the other end. "Yeah, I'm still going out tonight…umm, hold on, I'll ask him…" She placed her hand over the receiver. "Kakashi…Gai wants come over and bring some movies."_

"_That's nice…"_

"_Well, do you want his company or not?"_

"_Not really." Kakashi answered with a shrug._

_Akita rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the phone. "Yeah, he'd love for you to come over."_

_Kakashi threw his arms up in frustration as Akita bid farewell to the voice on the other line and placed the phone back in the cradle. She turned to her brother, who seemed annoyed._

"_What's the matter with you? Gai is your only friend, why don't you want to hang out with him?" She asked, concerned._

"_Akita, we're NOT friends…we're rivals; there's a difference"_

"_No there isn't...you're boys…friend and rival means exactly the same thing." She got up and left the room again, only to return with a coat draped over her shoulders. "Kamachi should be here any minute now…emergency numbers are on the fridge, and the pizza guy should get here right after I leave. Did I forget anything?"_

"_The other half of your dress." Kakashi grumbled, eyeing the knee-length dress with the slits all the way up to her thighs. _

_Akita simply glared, licking the back of her teeth in an agitated manner. A knock at the door broke her concentration. She fiddled with her hair before opening the door to see Gai; 3 movies tucked under his arm._

"_Good evening, Akita!" He greeted with a big, toothy grin. "How is your well-proportioned self tonight?" He inquired as his eyes took in every inch of her._

"_Hello, Gai." She moaned, rolling her eyes. "Kakashi's in the living room. Shut the door when you come in."_

_She went to leave, but the amorous 12-year-old grabbed her by the hand. "You know, if it doesn't work out with this fancy-shmancy Lord, I'll always be around, and I can treat you right." He finished by kissing her hand._

_Akita smiled, but not for the reasons Gai thought._

"_Is that so, little man?" A rugged voice came from behind._

_Gai turned slowly to see Kamachi leaning in the doorway, wearing his usual devilish grin. His clothes were now a matching cream with tan tassels hanging from the collar; his shirt unbuttoned at the top. Gai turned every shade of red imaginable as he looked up in awe at the handsome man._

"_Y…y…you're…him?" Gai stammered out, knowing very well that any woman in her right mind would chose this man over him any day of the week._

_Kamachi laughed heartily. "Don't worry!" He put his arm around Gai's shoulders. "If I get tired of her, I promise you can have what's left." He finished by giving the boy a firm slap in the back. _

_Upon feeling Kamachi's grip on him loosen, Gai scurried to the living room, feeling a bit inadequate. _

_Kamachi turned his attention to Akita, who was still giggling from his joke. "You look amazing." He said quietly._

"_Thank you." A girlish blush burned her cheeks as she averted her eyes._

_Kamachi looked up at Kakashi, smiled and waved. Kakashi simply stared, an obvious look of disdain on his face. The young Lord started into the living room, lifting his hands and performing some handseals._

"_You wanna hold him down for me?" Kamachi asked Gai, who immediately did as he was requested and held his rivals' hands down against the arms of the chair._

"_Hold me down for what?" Kakashi tried to struggle. "Hey, let go! Get away from me!" He panicked. **"He's making handseals in the house Akita!"** He tried to beg his sister as he kicked and wiggled helplessly as Kamachi got closer. **"DON'T TOUCH ME**__**!"**_

_Kamachi brought 2 fingers down gently on Kakashi's sore side. To his own surprise, Kakashi ceased his struggling when he realized what the young Lord was doing. After a moment, he pulled his hand away._

"_There you go, Kakashi. Sorry I forgot to do it earlier. You'll be fine by tomorrow morning." He finished with a friendly grin._

_Kakashi looked at his sister, who stood behind Kamachi, forming words on her lips without speaking. It took him a moment to figure out what his sister wanted him to say._

"_Thank you." Kakashi said, as though the words pained him._

"_No problem, little buddy. And don't worry about your sister. She'll come home safe and sound."_

_That said, Kamachi turned away and went outside. He stood near Katavi and waited patiently for Akita. She walked over to her brother and kissed his forehead._

"_Have fun watching movies."_

"_Have fun on your one-night stand." He growled, yanking his hands free from Gai's grip._

_Akita glared harshly at her brother, shaking her head disapprovingly. "You're impossible." She snapped before heading out the door.  
_

_Kakashi nudged Gai and motioned his head towards the window. Gai got up and watched as Kamachi valiantly lifted Akita onto his horse. Then, he himself mounted Katavi, and the 3 of them disappeared into the night. Gai returned to his seat near Kakashi._

"_They're gone." He reported._

"_What movies did you bring?"_

_Gai handed Kakashi the 3 movies. "Wayne's World, Monty Python and The Odd Couple? Dude, these movies suck."_

_Gai rolled his eyes and pulled the tapes out of the covers. "Now read them."_

_Kakashi nearly had tears in his eyes. "Bed Bunnies, Series 1 through 3…" He looked up at his rival, eyes moist. "Good call, man. Good call." _

_There was another knock at the door. Kakashi reached into his pocket and pulled out the money his sister left. He handed it to Gai, who took it and got up to answer the door. He returned a few moments later with the steaming, cheesy pie. Kakashi handed him one of the movies. _

"_Pop it in." He demanded. Gai growled as he snatched the movie and shoved it in the VCR. He went to sit down, but Kakashi stopped him. "Plates and drinks." He ordered._

_Gai gave an irate grunt, but stomped into the kitchen and returned with the plates and drinks, as requested. He plopped himself in the chair near the still incapacitated ninja._

"_What, no napkins?" Kakashi inquired. "Were you raised by cavemen?"_

"_Go to hell, Kakashi."_

"_Fine…just don't come crying to me when Akita breaks your legs for getting grease stains on her furniture…"_

_With another growl, followed by a defeated sigh, Gai got up again and wandered into the kitchen. Kakashi simply smiled under his mask, pleased with his rivals' obedience._

* * *

_Akita and Kamachi sat quietly on opposite ends of the wealthy Lord's massive couch. They had dinner and talked, and afterwards went on a moonlit ride by the riverside and talked, then returned to his estate for tea and cakes. During their conversation, Akita learned that when Kamachi wasn't attending to his duties as a Lord, he volunteered for the local law enforcement, aiding them with animal-related issues. He also told her he substituted for a chemistry teacher at a high school. In fact, they had talked so much, there really wasn't too much more to say; and so they sat on the big couch. The long awkward silence was too much for Akita to bare, especially with the painfully sexy Lord sitting directly across from her. With a deep breath, she inched a little closer._

"_Kamachi? Whatcha thinkin' about?" She tried to ask playfully, scooting her tush along the fine leather, closing in on the unexpecting young Lord._

"_Katavi…" He sighed, not even looking at her._

"_The horse?" She asked in shock, unsure if she misheard him._

"_Yeah." He sighed again, resting his head on his hand. "He didn't finish his oats tonight…I hope he's alright. He's usually a hearty eater."_

_Akita rolled her eyes, reached behind her head and pulled out the tight ponytail, letting her mid-back length hair fall to the sides of her face._

"_I wonder if he's just…" Kamachi was unable to finish his sentence as Akita forcefully pressed her lips against his, pushing him down from the couch onto the floor._

* * *

_Gai leaned close to the TV, squinting his eyes at the pornographic scene that played out vividly on the small screen._

"_Hey, Kakashi. What do you make of that?" He asked curiously, taking great care not to break his gaze._

"_Well, I think it's great when Bunnies get together to play…especially with whipped cream."_

"_Not that…I meant Kyumi Nagamura's tattoo."_

"_Tattoo? Is that what that is? Huh…thought it was a bite-mark…"_

"_I think it looks like Papa Smurf." Gai said with a shrug as he sipped the last drop of soda from the can that sat next to the chair he was seated on._

_Kakashi turned to Gai, one eyebrow ascended. "Papa Smurf? Dude, it's clearly the donkey from…that stuffed bear show."_

"_Eeyore from Whinnie the Pooh? No way…"_

_Kakashi turned slowly to Gai, a look of disgust on his face. "Dude, you're so lame…"_

"_It's…not like I watch it or anything!" Gai stammered, blushing. "I…heard it…somewhere…"_

"_Oh yeah? Where?"_

"_From…this…lady…"_

"_Mmhmm…" Kakashi mumbled with a roll of his eyes._

"_Shut up, Kakashi."_

* * *

_**4:00 a.m.  
**_

_Kamachi rolled from his bed sleepily and walked quietly towards the bathroom, taking care not to wake Akita, who slept soundly next to him._

_As he exited the bathroom, a ring from his private phone brought him to the living room. He answered it with a heavy yawn._

"_Hello?"_

"_Kamachi…" A gruff voice answered. "There's a situation on the outskirts of Eastern Konoha. 6 assassins have been sent to kill some girl in a beauty pageant."_

"_Six assassins to do in one little girl? Good Lord, they must be desperate for cash…" He mumbled, entering the kitchen and pulling out a carton of milk. He drank some and put it back. "It's disgusting what people would do just to win some crummy pageant."_

"_Focus, Kamachi." The voice snapped. "__They're about 15 miles from the Inn the girl is staying at. Can you handle it?"_

"_Now? For the love of everything Kosher, it's 4 in the morning!"_

"_Hey, you're the one who requests these late-night missions, but if you're not up to it, I can always send Yondaime to take care of it."_

"_No, no, I'm already up. I'll handle it. Don't wake him."_

"_You sound so tired…I mean I know it's 4 am, but you're usually all over things like this."_

"_Let's just say I was all over something else earlier and am still pretty tired from it."_

_There was a long pause at the other end of the line._

"_Kamachi…you didn't!"_

"_Bye, Sarutobi." He hung up the phone with a victorious grin. He reentered his room and quietly dressed. Akita slept soundly as Kamachi prepared a message for her and left it on the pillow. He kissed her head and exited the house._

* * *

_He entered the barn and took Katavi from his stall. He brushed and saddled the patient stallion, while other fine horses poked their heads from their stalls and nickered softly to their loving master. Kamachi led the horse from the barn, closed the door and mounted. With a gentle kick, the stallion and the Lord were off with lightning fast speed towards their destination. _

* * *

_Halfway there, Kamachi closed his eyes and performed 2 handseals in a specific order; Inu, Uma, Inu, Uma, Inu._

"_**HORSE-OF-A-DIFFERENT-COLOR JUTSU!**__"_

_In a flash, The buff and handsome Lord disappeared; a slim knight in a skintight body suit took his place in the saddle. _

'_The Black Ninja', as he was known by all who followed the stories of elite ninjas, was garnered with mechanical weapons down his arms and many others hidden elsewhere on his body. Though adorned with the variety of lethal gadgets and gizmos, he very rarely used them to defeat his enemies. _

_Katavi, too, changed from a thick, golden steed with a mane and tail almost as wide as his body, to a jet-black athlete of an animal; his mane stiff and erect like a mohawk, and his tail bobbed. The furious horse's eyes glowed bright red like a demon stallion from Hell. Thick spikes grew from the menacing creatures' hooves while two fangs sprang from his upper jaw.  
_

_The horse slid to a stop once the transformation was complete, and reared up, lashing out with its powerful legs. It let out an ear-piercing squeal, while the ninja unsheathed a pair of swords, twirling them with great accuracy. Kamachi and Katavi, the team of gentle, yet handsome young bucks were gone. Now the duo of death made their presence known, as they whirled around and continued their trek to the scene of a crime that had not yet taken place.  
_

_As they came upon their destination, the Black Ninja leapt from the horse's back into the trees. The riderless equine continued his charge through the trees, seeking out the unsuspecting criminals._

* * *


	4. ACT I: Ch:4 I Become Father?

**_Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound_**

**_Act I: The Making of a Little Spark_**

**_Chapter 4: I Become…Father?_**

* * *

_Deep in the woods, just 3 miles from the Inn where the unsuspecting beauty queen slumbered, the 6 shinobi made their way through the dark woods with great stealth. The leader, a tall man with a scruffy, brown beard and sideburns stopped in a clearing. His men stopped with him; 3 were clean-shaven, while the other two sported whiskers similar to their leader, only thinner, more kept and black. They all lifted their heads suspiciously._

"_What's the matter?" One of the clean-shaven men questioned. "Why did we stop?"_

"_Shh!" The leader demanded. "I hear something…"_

_The men listened intently. Sure enough, a clear 'clip-clop' sound could be heard in the distance. The men squinted their eyes through the darkness. Suddenly, between two trees, a big black horse appeared. It stopped and stared at the men. One of the bearded ones pointed to the massive equine._

"_It's a horse." He stated the obvious._

"_It hasn't got a rider." Another bearded man said._

"_Should we catch it?" The youngest shaven guy asked._

"_It is a nice looking horse." Another shorn man gawked. "It'll be worth a lot of money."_

"_Hey, isn't our current task embarrassing enough?" The leader snapped. "I'll be damned if we're gonna stop to play with a pretty pony, too!"_

"_Want me to take care of it, Atsuko-sama?" The youngest man asked, hoping to get in his boss's good graces._

"_Well, alright, Toshio. But don't make a whole lot of noise doing it."_

_Toshio smiled wickedly and pulled out a kunai knife. "Don't worry boss. It will be quick and silent."_

_Atsuko grinned, quite pleased with his troops' cold-heartedness. _

_Wanting to show off to his fellow teammates, the boy covered his eyes with one hand and positioned the knife in the other. "Right between the eyes…blindfolded!" He predicted._

_The men leaned forward eagerly, thirsty for the demise of the big black distraction. Toshio let the knife fly._

_The horse lifted his head high to get a better view of the threat that was zipping towards him. At the very last possible moment, the horse whirled and gave a single buck, bringing one of his hind legs high in the air. The knife made contact with the horses' shoe, ricocheting off of it with great force and causing the knife to flip it's pointy end towards the squad. With incredible speed, the knife flew through the darkness. It went straight through the Toshio's hand and burrowed deeply between his eyes, stabbing him in the brain and causing instant death. His squad watched in horror as he fell to his knees, then tumbled backwards, blood oozing from the wound.  
_

_The men were terrified and sickened by the horrific sight. They slowly turned back to the horse, whose eyes burned an angry red. Ears pinned, the horse reared and let out a roaring neigh. Then, it charged; tearing up the ground as its powerful haunches thrust it forward with breakneck speed. _

"_Let's get the hell out of here!" On of the shaven men shouted. _

_The others were quick to follow, but Atsuko insisted that they stay._

"_You cowards aren't going anywhere, got it? We have a job to do, and I'm not about to let some lousy horse get in the way! Show some backbone! You're a bunch of elite ninjas for pity's sake! Kill it!"_

_One of the bearded men stepped forward, pulling out a handful of shuriken._

"_He's right! Let's send this old nag to the glue factory!" He shouted as he released the 8 deadly stars directly at the oncoming horse._

_They watched in awe as the stallion leapt into the sky, dodging two of the stars. Then, in midair, he twisted his body, his legs pointing to the sky for a moment as 4 shuriken swept by, inches from the horses' knees. It flipped itself right-side up just before landing, then ducking low to the ground as the final two stars zipped over his head. Picking itself up, the horse ran directly at the man who attacked him. Once upon him, the stallion lifted his haunches and lashed out with his back hooves again; the man leaned back in an attempt to evade the powerful kick. He couldn't help but grin as he saw the horses' hoof come just inches from his neck. But his grin quickly turned into a frown as a blade concealed in the horses' shoe sprung out and slid across his neck with one quick swipe. Blood squirted from the deep wound, and then man fell back, bleeding to death._

_Even Atsuko was afraid now. "What the hell kind of horse is this?"_

_Suddenly, a second horse came crashing to the ground from the treetops. It reared up, and struck out with its front hoof. A kunai knife shot out from the center of the hoof and landed neatly into one of the clean-shaven men's spine. He fell forward, dead instantly. The leader and the last shaven man stepped back fearfully. But one of the bearded men; the second in command, tore his sword from its sheath._

"_I've had just about enough of this!" He shouted, burying the sword in the new horses' shoulder._

_The horse squealed as though it were in a ton of pain, but then, in a puff of smoke, it was gone; a ninja dressed in black with a hood over his head appeared, hunched over on one knee, gripping the sword tightly._

"_It's a guy!" The shorn man shouted._

"_It's not just any guy." Atsuko whispered, recognizing the masked shinobi immediately. "It's The Black Ninja. I've heard of him. Also known as the Mounted Black Ninja or the Ninja Knight. He's known for his quick kills. He rarely uses his own weapons to slay his enemies. He prefers killing people with their own weapons. Ryuji, get out of there, you fool!" He tried calling to his teammate._

_The second-in-command known as Ryuji didn't happen to hear Atsuko's warning, and stepped towards the fallen ninja proudly. He looked down on him and laughed. _

"_So much for your little ambush." He chuckled._

_The black ninja tilted his head slightly and looked at the sword. It had gone over his shoulder and sat nicely in the crook of his armor. He then lifted his to look up at the man who stood over him victoriously._

"_What? Not dead yet?" Ryuji questioned as he unsheathed a second sword. "Why don't I just take your head off?" _

"_Good idea." The Black Ninja answered with a mechanical-sounding voice._

_In a flash, he stood up straight and whipped the knife from his shoulder. He swung it hard across Ryuji's neck, causing the severed head to fly right towards the 2 remaining assassins. _

"_I can't take anymore of this! I'm outta here!" The shaven man hopped away into the trees._

"_Right behind you!" Atsuko called, leaping away into the thick branches above._

_Completely engulfed with fear, the men didn't realize that they were headed in different directions. The Black Ninja looked at his horse and nodded before hopping into the trees after the leader. The horse, meanwhile, disappeared in a puff of smoke, turning himself into a replica of his master. Once in this human form, the horse bounded into the trees in pursuit of the last man._

_The shaven man looked behind him worriedly. It seemed that he'd outrun the elite Black Ninja, but his boss was nowhere to be found. Feeling suspicious, he slowed his pace. He turned to face forward again, only to be kicked in the face by what appeared to be the Black Ninja. The force caused him to lose his footing and fall from the tree, hitting most of the branches on the way down. The Black Ninja leapt right after him. The man looked up in wonder as the ninja disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the massive horse taking his place. It landed with one hoof on the assassin's chest. The man looked with fear into the blood-red eyes of the demonic stallion. The last thing he heard was the stallion's roar, and his last sight was the vision of 2 dripping fangs digging into his neck._

_Atsuko stopped on a large branch. He tried to catch his breath before the black ninja was upon him again. He looked up to see the dangerous man standing in front of him, leaning against the tree._

"_You…" The man gasped out. "You and your wretched beast slaughtered my men."_

_The ninja stepped forward. Atsuko quickly straightened himself out and prepared to defend himself as well, if need be. The ninja just stood there silently. _

"_Do something, dammit! Or say something! Don't just stand there. If you think you're going to finish me off, you've got another thing coming! Come on! Attack me! I dare you!"_

_The black ninja tilted his head like a curious puppy._

"_Really?" He asked in his scratchy, metal voice._

_With lightening fast speed, the black ninja lunged. With a few quick jabs in the gut, he snatched the 2 swords the assassin had swung over his shoulders. The Black Ninja flipped over the assassin's head and pushed him in the center of the back with his foot, causing the man to tumble forwards. He caught himself on a branch before falling. Irritated, he whipped around to kill this Black Ninja Knight once and for all…only to find that the ninja had one sword to his throat, and the other to his gut. Atsuko laughed nervously, knowing his life was at an end. He attempted one last time to save himself._

"_Hey, pal…let's talk about this, huh?" He pleaded._

_The black ninja lowered his head slightly, the plexi-glass slits that served as his eyes glowed red. With a single, synchronized jerk of both arms, the swords slid through the man like a hot knife through butter, slicing the leader of the assassin group in 3 pieces. The remains fell apart separately and landed in the grass below. The battle was over; the assassins were dead, and the Black Ninja Knight added yet another victory to his belt. He dropped the swords and gave a little whistle. In an instant, his horse trotted below and halted. The Ninja leapt onto the back of his loyal steed.  
_

_Before they headed off, the Ninja Knight let loose a black card. It landed neatly on the remains of the lead assassin, simply to let the world know that the he, the Black Ninja, was responsible for the veritable bloodbath. The horse reared and let out his trademark wail, and the team dashed off, leaving behind a gory mess._

* * *

_Akita opened her sleepy eyes. She turned to the pillow next to her, only to find that the man she'd had made beautiful love with was no longer there; instead, a small piece of paper took his place. She reached over and grabbed it. It read:_

_My dearest Akita:_

_Got a report on my CB last night, calling all available mounted officers to assist in rounding up some cattle that broke loose and were heading towards town. Be back later in the afternoon. I've set up a carriage to bring you home. Every moment I'm away from you is agony._

_All my Love:_

_~ Kamachi  
_

_Akita smiled to herself, clutching the note to her bosom. A small knock on the wall brought her attention to the butler standing in the entrance of the bedroom._

"_Lord Kamachi has prepared a carriage to take you home, my lady. Would you like something to eat before you go?"_

"_Oh, no thank you! I think I'm just going to get dressed and go home. My little brother may be worried about me."_

"_Very good, ma'am." The butler ended with a respectful bow before leaving to give Akita some privacy._

_Once dressed with the note safely tucked away in her pocket, she paid farewell to the kind and polite servant, then left in the carriage provided for her._

* * *

_Kamachi came charging through the door at around 1:00 p.m. The butler greeting him with a bow._

"_Welcome home, my Lord."_

"_Hey, Kenji. Where's Akita? Did she get home okay?"_

"_I just sent her off about an hour ago. She should be arriving at her doorstep just about now."_

"_Great!" Kamachi pulled a small box out of his pocket. He opened it and shoved it in Kenji's face. Inside, a sparkling princess-cut diamond sat in the center of the platinum ring surrounded by yellow marquise-cut diamonds. "What do you think of this?"_

_Kenji blushed. "I'm flattered, sir. But I'm obligated to tell you that I'd only be marrying you for your money."_

_Kamachi rolled his eyes and put the ring-box back in his pocket. "Ha, ha. Very funny…it's for Akita."_

"_Ah, yes. That was my second guess, sir." Kenji said with a humorous smirk._

"_I'm gonna ask her to marry me." Kamachi sighed. "I hope she says yes."_

"_Me too, sir. She is a very lovely young lady." The loud ringing of Kamachi's phone brought the conversation to a halt. "I'll get it, my Lord."_

_As Kenji left, Kamachi pulled out the ring again. He sighed heavily as it sparkled brightly, even in the dim-lighted house._

_I REALLY hope she says yes…_

* * *

_Akita stumbled into the house and scurried to the living room. There, sprawled out in their chairs, were Kakashi and Gai, snoring loudly. Akita looked at the clock that hung over the TV. It read 1:15 p.m. She then brought her eyes down to the movies, which lay on top of the jackets. Akita picked them up and read them, appalled. The movie jackets certainly did NOT fit the movies that were inside. With an irritated grunt, she returned the movies to their jackets, then left the living room. After a moment, she returned with an old fashioned fire alarm. She held it over the sleeping boys, then set it off._

_Both boys, naturally taken by both surprise and fear, leapt up, eyes bulging. Gai went tumbling backwards in his chair, while Kakashi fell forward, landing hard on the coffee table before falling off to the side, taking the empty pizza box with him. Satisfied, Akita grinned and set the alarm down._

"_Good afternoon, boys."_

"_Afternoon?!" Gai shouted worriedly as he scurried to get his movies together. "I gotta get home! My moms' gonna kill me!"_

_As Gai rushed out the door, Kakashi pulled himself to his feet slowly, gripping his head, which was still ringing._

"_Have fun with your porn-buddy?" Akita asked sarcastically._

"_What?" Kakashi shouted, digging in his ear._

**"**_**I SAID, HAVE FUN WITH YOUR PORN-BUDDY?"** Akita repeated louder._

"_I was about to ask you the same question!" Kakashi snapped back, finally regaining his hearing._

_Akita simply smiled at her smart-mouth little brother. "As a matter of fact, I had the time of my life."_

_Kakashi shuddered at the very thought. _

"_Ugh…Gross."_

* * *

"_It's for you, sir." Kenji said as he handed the phone to his Master. "The Chief officer."_

_Kamachi snatched the phone and put it to his ear. "Yeah?"_

"_Kamachi, this is Sarutobi…" The Hokage whispered on the other line._

"_Uh…yeah, sure, Chief…it was my pleasure to help out last night…" Kamachi tried to sound convincing as he left the room to get some privacy. Once he was out of range from Kenji, he sighed and focused on who was really on the other line. "Sarutobi, why are you calling me at this time of day? What happened?" He asked worriedly, usually only getting private calls from the Hokage at night._

"_A really important mission that requires the skills of both you and Yondaime; some of our troops have been attacked in the Sand Village, and you 2 need to be there to provide backup and make peace. I'll give you the details at my office."_

"_Exactly how long will this take?"_

"_You know these kind of things can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months."_

"_Damn." Kamachi whined. "Alright. I'll see you in a little while."_

* * *

**_The Next Day…  
_**

_Akita picked up her had at the sound on the knocking on the door. She had been recording her voice for yet another artifact at the museum when the knock came, and since Kakashi wasn't there, she couldn't send him to answer it. She turned off the tape recorder and opened the door. A man handed her a message, bowed, and left. She retreated inside the house and sat down to open the envelope. It was another letter from Kamachi._

_Akita, my Love: _

_I've been called away to the Sand Village to make peace in hostile territory; one of many duties a Lord is obligated to do. It will be a long peace process; up to 3 months. But I assure you, I will miss you everyday that I'm gone. I can't wait to see your beautiful face again._

_Until my return; Eternally yours:_

_~ Kamachi_

_Akita sighed as she read the letter to herself over and over again. _

"_He…loves me." She whispered as she re-read the letter. "And I most assuredly love him."_

* * *

_Kamachi's peace-making skills were just as powerful as his fighting skills, and after a 3 month long negotiation, hostilities came to an end, and Kamachi and Yondaime returned to Konoha without a scratch.  
_

_And so, he raced along the road, egging Katavi on with his voice rather then a whip. The horse tore through the road like lightning towards Akita's home._

* * *

_Akita looked at her nude figure in the mirror. A small paunch had formed on her stomach only a week ago. She rubbed it gently, knowing very well what was inside. She hadn't told a soul about the newly forming baby-bump, and simply covered it with baggy clothes. Dressed, she stepped outside to pick some flowers. She snapped her head up as the clip-clop sound of hooves came echoing down the road. She got up, hands clasped together hopefully. As though an angel answered her prayers, Kamachi and Katavi came into view. Akita dropped the flowers and ran to her beloved. Kamachi leapt from Katavi's back and embraced Akita tightly swinging her around & around._

"_Oh, Kamachi! I'm so happy you're back!"_

"_I'm so happy to be back, Akita. Did you get my letters?"_

"_Every last one of them!" She hugged tighter, reminiscing all the letters he wrote since he'd left._

"_Oh, Akita. I've been dreaming of this day. There's something I must ask you."_

"_And I have something I'd like to tell you."_

"_Please let me go first." Kamachi begged._

"_Well, alright."_

_Kamachi took a seat on a rock near the large Koi pond in front of the house. "Remember how I told you on our date that I substituted at the local high school as a chemistry teacher?"_

"_Of course I do." She answered, taking a seat next to him._

"_Well, if they were aware of the concoctions I made there, I'd probably get fired." He laughed, pulling a large vile of some kind of liquid from his pocket._

"_What is that?" Akita asked curiously eyeing the bottle of strange chemicals._

"_This is a fish pheromone. Hopefully these little koi can help me with this experiment."_

_Akita watched as Kamachi dripped the chemicals in the water very carefully, as though he were writing something. The fish began surfacing towards the pheromone in the pattern in which Kamachi dropped the chemical. Akita clasped her hands over her mouth as it became clear what he was writing. She looked up at him teary-eyed. "Oh, Kamachi!"_

_As though that were his cue, he removed the ring from his pocket and offered it to her. "Please make me the happiest man in the world…" He began as he got down on one knee._

"_Yes!" She shouted before he could finish. "Yes I will!" She threw her arms around him tightly._

"_You will? Really?" He gasped, hugging back. "I so hoped that would be your answer."_

_They kissed lovingly; the fish that grouped together forming the words 'Marry Me' slowly departed as the pheromone wore off._

_Kakashi, walking up to his sisters' house, lifted his eyes to see them in their loving embrace. He groaned and rolled his eyes, but continued towards them. Akita noticed Kakashi approaching & immediately flashed him the ring._

"_Kakashi!" She shouted happily. "Look! Kamachi and I are getting married! Isn't that wonderful?"_

"_You are? Great…and why shouldn't you get married? You've known each other 10 minutes…" He mumbled sarcastically._

"_This means we're gonna be brothers, little buddy!" Kamachi laughed, putting his arm around his new siblings' shoulders and rubbing Kakashi's head with his free hand._

"_Don't make me beat you up in front of my sister." Kakashi hissed quietly so that Akita couldn't hear his threats._

_Akita stood up, hands at her sides. "Now I have news for you two."_

_The two lifted their heads and looked at Akita, who seemed to be glowing. "Guys…" She took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant!"_

_To the surprise of both Akita and Kamachi, it was Kakashi who rolled his eyes in the back of his head and fainted._

* * *

**_END OF ACT I_**

* * *


	5. ACT II: Ch:1 Wedding Crasher

_**Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound **_

_**Act II: Tragic Destinies**_

_**Chapter 1: Wedding Crasher**_

* * *

"_I now pronounce you husband and wife." The pastor's voice rang out. "You may kiss the bride."_

_All but Kakashi went wild as Akita and Kamachi sealed the deal with a passionate kiss. Katavi whinnied with joy and pawed the ground as though he were clapping. Even all 6 of Kamachi's hired Jounin bodyguards cheered from the sidelines. Kakashi wiped a tear from his eye. Gai, who was sitting next to him, leaned over and eyed him suspiciously._

"_Kakashi? Dude, are you crying?"_

"_No!" Kakashi snapped, sniffling. "It's…allergies…there's a lot of…pollen today."_

_Gai laughed. "Since when are you allergic to pollen?"_

"_Since my sister is throwing her life away by marrying this shmuck. I'll bet anything that as soon as she pops that kid out, he'll be gone."_

"_Why do you hate Kamachi so much? He seems like a really nice guy." They both looked over at Kamachi, who was cutting the wedding cake. He had some icing on his nose, and looked pretty silly and happy about it. Gai shrugged. "Look at him, Kakashi. Does he really look like a bad guy to you?"_

_Kakashi glared at the childish young Lord with extreme distaste._

"_He's a kid. I'm more of an adult then he is. How is he going to raise a child?"_

"_By practicing with __you__." Gai snapped, disgusted with Kakashi's attitude. "If he has enough patience to deal with a brat like you, I think he'll make a great father. I'm going to go get some cake." Gai got up and left in a huff._

_Kakashi just sat there, arms crossed, watching Akita and Kamachi dance; Akita's 9-month-old pregnant belly swelling against her wedding dress. Yanking the flower off his tux, Kakashi got up and left the party. No one seemed to notice…except Kamachi. He went to follow, but the sound of everyone in the area gasping simultaneously caused him to stop and turn. To his and everybody else's surprise, Katavi had his entire head in the cake, munching away._

"_KATAVI! NO!" Kamachi screamed as he rushed over to his horse and pulled him away from the demolished cake. _

_Katavi's entire head was covered with icing and cake. He nickered gently, as though he were saying, "What? I was just cutting the cake for everyone!!"_

_Akita seemed to be the only one who found the horses' antics to be hilarious. Blushing Kamachi walked over to his wife, rubbing his neck embarrassingly. _

"_Ah, I'm sorry about that, Kita! Mind if I take him down to the pond and wash him off?"_

"_Not at all!" Akita giggled. "Our best man must be clean; at least until the party is over!"_

"_I just wish Kakashi would've been my best man…" Kamachi sighed, trailing off._

"_Where is Kakashi anyway?" Akita inquired, looking around curiously for her little brother._

_Kamachi gave a shrug. "He wandered off somewhere. Want me to go find him?"_

"_No." Akita sighed. "If he wants to be like that, let him. I won't let his attitude spoil our day."_

"_Nothing can spoil this day." Kamachi finished, kissing his wife on the cheek, then heading off towards the pond, which was about a mile and a half away._

* * *

_Kakashi wandered down the road, a good mile and a half from the party. He kicked rocks and dust along the way, keeping his head as low as his spirits…but not nearly as low as his guard. _

_The sound of engines could be heard from a short distance. Kakashi stopped and turned slightly. A group of 9 guys riding 3 dune buggies came speeding down the road, hooting wildly and shooting off firecrackers. The delinquents nearly collided with the young ninja, who leapt out of the way, just inches from being struck. He growled in his throat and glared at the group as they got further away._

**"**_**WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, ASSHOLES!"** He shouted, picking up a rock and tossing it._

_With his amazing aim, Kakashi's rock struck one of the guys hard in the back of the head, causing him to go flying off the vehicle. He hit the ground with such impact that he actually bounced off the road twice. The dune buggies were brought to a screeching halt as all the guys dismounted and focused their rage on Kakashi. It was only then that Kakashi noticed that all the guys were wearing shinobi headbands representing the Mist Village. Their faces were scarred and the guys themselves were a lot older then Kakashi, who began to think that throwing that rock and opening his big mouth wasn't a very good idea. He backed up slowly, realizing his mistake._

"_Oh, crap…"_

"_**GET HIM**__!" One of the guys shouted as they leapt back onto their buggies and sped right towards the fear-struck 12 year-old._

* * *

_Kamachi lead his horse out of the water, finally scrubbing out all the icing. Katavi shook off all the excess water, completely soaking his master._

"_UGH! Katavi! Look what you did to me!"_

_The horse tossed his head and neighed loudly obviously amused by his own tricks._

"_Man…I just hope I'm dry by the time we get back to the party; this is a rental, ya know."_

_As they turned to leave, Kamachi couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. He looked at his horse, who also seemed interested in something in the distance. Both of them stood rigid and listened. No doubt about it, they sensed danger. Kamachi looked worriedly at his partner._

"_We…we've never done it during the day before…"_

_Katavi's nostrils flared as he took in the scent of fear. His eyes bulged and his muscles twitched. He let out a quiet nicker, but kept as still as a statue. Kamachi knew now without a shadow of a doubt that something was definitely amiss. He took a deep breath and mounted his horse. With extreme uncertainty, they galloped off. Kamachi and the golden stallion disappeared in a cluster of dark trees. The Mounted Black Ninja and his Demon horse exploded from the other side and dashed towards the unknown danger. _

* * *

_Kakashi tried desperately to stay ahead of the enraged Chunin who were breathing down his neck, speeding along the roadway in an attempt to corner the frightened twelve-year-old and teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. Kakashi turned to see how close they were getting, and in doing so, was not able to see the rock jetting out of the ground. He caught his toe on it and flew forwards, landing very hard on his face. In an instant, the gang was upon him, circling him menacingly. He tried to get to his feet, but during each attempt, he was kicked down by one of the guys. They skidded to a stop, having him completely surrounded._

"_You're not going anywhere, big mouth!" Growled one of the men, a thick scar on the left side of his face. "All talk and no action!"_

"_We'll teach you to respect your elders, punk!" A heavy-built man shouted._

_Kakashi turned to see one of the men performing a handseal, a smirk on his badly scarred face. It looked as though he was a burn victim. _

"_Ice Mirror Jutsu!" He shouted, leaping off the dune buggy and landing almost on top of Kakashi._

_Kakashi soon found himself man surrounded by mirrors. The man laughed as his body melted into one of them; his reflection then appearing on them all._

"_Ever see a jutsu like this? It's a Kekei GenKai. Only my clan can do it, and you're about to get a taste of it, you brat! Don't forget to tell your friends, if you survive, that is!" _

_Kakashi prepped himself for the inevitable and the uncertain, as he had never heard of this jutsu before. Suddenly, a big, black horse came crashing through the mirrors, shattering them all, and sending the man flying out of one of them. The ninja on the back of the horse swung his far-leg across and kicked the man in the jaw, sending him crashing down to Kakashi's feet. Kakashi looked up in wonder as the masked ninja repositioned himself on the horses' back while the midnight-colored beast landed neatly between the Genin and his more advanced opponents. The masked shinobi then dismounted. 2 long swords sprung out from his sleeves. He held them up defensively. _

"_You want the kid…you'll have to go through me." He hissed in a scratchy, robotic voice._

"_You must be joking!" The scar-faced man laughed. "Get him, boys!" To the leaders' surprise, his men stood down, looking at the masked ninja fearfully. "What're you waiting for?" The leader roared angrily. "Go get him!"_

"_No way man!" The heavy-set ninja backed away. "That's the Black Ninja Knight! He'll kill us for sure!"_

_The Black Ninja? __Kakashi thought to himself with amazement. __Wow…I can't believe it's really him!__ Even the young Genin had heard tales of the Black Ninja. Kakashi himself was a big fan._

"_That's__ the Ninja Knight?" One of the others questioned. "Oh, screw this!"_

_With that, all but the leader and the knocked-out man hopped onto 2 of the dune buggies and sped off. Kakashi took advantage of this distraction and got up quietly._

"_You wussies!" The leader shouted as he watched them disappear down the road. He turned to face the so-called Ninja Knight, only to find him speeding away as well, the horses' back end fading behind the trail of dust. With an irritated groan, he pulled the semi-conscious ninja from the ground, tossed him in the last dune buggy, then started after the mounted shinobi on the ebony horse._

* * *

_The Black Ninja couldn't help but feel his horses' usually smooth gallop was __un__usually unbalanced and bumpy. He casually glanced over the right side of the horse. There was Kakashi, latched to the side, his legs curled tightly under the horses' belly, holding on for dear life. The Black Ninja groaned in disbelief._

"_What're you doing, kid? I thought you ran off! Let go!"_

_The roar of the dune buggy engine caused them both to look behind. The 2 Chunin were tearing up the road behind them in hot pursuit. Kakashi gripped the horse tighter._

"_Are you crazy? I'm not going anywhere!"_

_The Black Ninja rolled his head about his shoulders, irritated and confused. He was so used to travelling by moonlight that the diurnal rundown had gotten him turned around. He had no idea where he was going. He glanced back at the pursuing buggy. It was getting closer._

"_Hey, man! Look out!" Kakashi cried, his grip on the horse beginning to weaken._

_The Ninja Knight looked up, his eyes wide beneath his mask._

"_Oh, no!"_

* * *

_The party guests as well as Akita picked up their heads at the sound of an approaching engine and thundering hooves._

"_Kamachi?" Akita whispered to herself hopefully._

_Suddenly, a massive black horse leapt over the decorated hedges, dropping Kakashi on a buffet table below. His impact caused the table to snap in two, and the food to spill all over him. The horse meanwhile, landed just short of squishing Akita, skidding to a stop and spraying her with grass and dirt. Seconds later, the dune buggy came flying over the hedges. Kakashi looked up, eyes wide, and quickly rolled out of the way before getting smashed by the vehicle. _

_The Black Ninja covered his face with his gloved hand, moaning in it._

_Oh, crap! What've I done?_

_A sudden smash in the back of the head with a big bronze bowl snapped him back into reality. He gripped his head, groaning painfully. He turned to see Akita, who was fuming mad, holding a silver goblet in one hand and a silver tray in the other._

"_**YOU BASTARD! YOU RUINED MY WEDDING! GET OUT OF HERE**__!" She roared again, throwing the tray at him and successfully hitting him in the face with it__**. "OUT, OUT, OUT!**__" She threw the goblet, but rather then hitting the ninja, she hit the horse in the rump. _

_The horse squealed and reared, nearly throwing the unsuspecting ninja from his seat. He gripped onto the animals' mane tightly as it galloped away into the forest. Meanwhile, as Kamachi's bodyguards seized the vandals and their vehicle, Akita fell to her knees, gripping her swollen stomach._

_Kakashi brushed himself off, though still covered with food. Gai rushed to him._

"_What the hell was all that about?" _

"_The…Black…Ninja. He saved me." Kakashi gasped out._

"_Yeah, but he totally crashed your sisters' wedding."_

_Kakashi suddenly looked towards Akita, who seemed to be in a lot of pain. He quickly ran to her side._

"_Akita! What's the matter?" He asked worriedly, gripping her shoulders._

_Akita roughly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to her face. _

"_**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK IS THE MATTER!? THE BABY'S COMING, YOU MORON! GET ME TO THE HOSPITAL NOW! I NEED DRUGS! LOTS AND LOTS OF DRUGS!**__"_

"_WHAT!? NOW?! Can't you hold it in or something?" Kakashi freaked._

_Kakashi covered his ears in an attempt to prevent his eardrums from shattering as Akita let out a painful howl. "__**AAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUHHHHGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!**__"_

* * *

_Kamachi walked slowly back towards the party, Katavi following tiredly behind. Both picked up their lowered heads when an ambulance sped by, sirens blazing. Kamachi's eyes widened. Suddenly, Kakashi came into view, following on foot behind the siren blaring vehicle. His brother-in-law caught his eye immediately and he skidded to a stop._

"_There you are!" He shouted. "Boy are you useless! Playing Marco Polo with your dumb horse when Akita needed you the most!"_

"_What happened?" Kamachi cried._

"_No time to explain now! She's having the baby!" He called out before taking off again._

"_NOW?!" Kamachi gasped. He turned to his tired horse and pulled its long face close to his. "Katavi, I know I've asked a lot of you today, but I need you to give me just a little more. Can you do that?"_

_The horse nodded his big head in agreement. Kamachi patted his neck and mounted. The golden stallion whipped around and loped after the ambulance. As they passed Kakashi, Kamachi held out his hand. Kakashi wasted no time in grabbing it so his brother-in-law could swing him aboard. Once he felt his passengers were secure in their seats, Katavi broke into a gallop behind the wailing ambulance._

* * *

_In the hospital, the nurses pushed the bed-ridden and screaming Akita into the birthing room, Kamachi following closely behind. Kakashi attempted to follow but was stopped at the door by a nurse._

"_Sorry, kid. Only the husband can be in there now."_

"_Oh, come on! He's only been her husband for, like, 5 minutes!" Kakashi argued. "I've been her brother for 12 years!"_

"_Sorry, little boy, Those are the rules. You can see the mother and child tomorrow." That said, the nurse disappeared behind the door, leaving Kakashi standing alone to worry in the hallway._

* * *

**_The Next Day_**

_The doctor opened the door for Kakashi. "Not too long now, she's still pretty tired from the delivery."_

"_Alright." He agreed, entering the room quietly._

_The doctor closed the door behind the Genin and left. Kakashi crept towards his sisters' bed. She was asleep. He sighed and went to sit down, but the coo of a baby caused him to stop and turn. He noticed a cradle in the far side of the room. Slowly, he approached it and peered inside._

_A large smile swept across his face. The baby was chubby and bright eyed, the sparkling, green gems looking up at him with extreme curiosity. Thin locks of silver hair decorated its head. It was wrapped in a pink cotton cloth, indicating that it was a little girl. Kakashi leaned over the cradle and put his hand inside._

"_Hello, you." He whispered softly, stroking her soft skin with his fingertips. "Aren't you cute?"_

_The baby lifted her arms eagerly, testing out her new appendages by gripping at the air. Kakashi chuckled quietly, brining his eyes down to the clipboard attached to the cradle. It read: Kaliana Inuzuka. He grunted to himself at the name._

"_Why am I not surprised?" He returned his attention to the baby, who was now cooing very loudly, trying to get her uncle's attention. "What? You want my hand?" He asked, placing his hand into the crib; her tiny, chubby digits gripping his slender ones._

_Little Kaliana explored her uncle's hand curiously, bending fingers, separating them and squeezing them. Kakashi laughed. "You like that huh?" _

_Suddenly, her grip tightened like a boa constrictor as she tried to pull the fingers off his hand and stick them in her drippy mouth. Kakashi flung his head back and yowled. It felt like she was going to snap them in half. After a moment or two, she loosened her grip and finally released. He retracted his drool-covered hand, wiping it on his shirt. Akita, who had awakened upon hearing his scream, giggled softly to herself. Kakashi stretched and bent his fingers, checking them over to see if anything was broken. Once he was certain all was in order, he turned back down to his niece, shaking his head._

"_You've got some grip, little girl. You're either going to make one hell of a sausage maker or a really good ninja."_

_Akita's eyes narrowed. "Bite your tongue, Kakashi." She hissed._

_Kakashi jumped a little, not expecting his sister to be awake. He quickly ran to her bedside and hugged her tightly._

"_I'm really happy you're alright. You scared me."_

"_Yes. I'm sorry about that. Where's Kamachi?" She sounded worn._

"_Oh…I asked the doctor. He said that Kamachi stayed with you all night, but left this morning to tell his family about Kaliana." He motioned his head towards the crib. "She's so small, but so strong. She'd make a great ninja."_

"_Stop saying that, Kakashi! My daughter will NOT become a ninja. And you won't go filling her head with those aspirations, now will you, little brother?" She asked in a threatening tone._

_Both snapped their heads towards the cradle as Kaliana gave out a shrill squeal before throwing her rattle up with impressive persicion. It flew into the ceiling and burrowed deep into the wood. Kaliana giggled and clapped her hands._

_Kakashi chuckled and shrugged at Akita. "If you say so."_

"_I __**do**__ say so." Akita yawned and rested her head deep in the pillow. "Ugh…I'm so tired. Go home, Kakashi. I need to rest now."_

"_You're staying another day? Sheesh, she's not that big. How hard could it have been?"_

_Akita yawned again as she settled into the comforter. "Doesn't matter how small a baby is; they all spring painfully; or in her case, backwards, from ones' loins."_

_Kakashi chuckled lightly to himself. "Backwards, huh? I know someone whose gonna take after her father…"_

_Akita moaned and closed her eyes, quickly falling back into her deep, exhausted slumber. Kakashi walked back over to the crib. Kaliana was sound asleep as well. He pulled his mask down from his face, leaned inside the crib and kissed his niece on the head. He backed away slowly, covering his face up again. After taking one last glance at his niece, he left.  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the world, Kaliana!**


	6. ACT II: Ch:2 Secret Ninja

_**Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound**_

_**Act II: Tragic Destinies**_

_**Chapter 2: Secret Ninja**_

**_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

_**4 years later**_

_Little Kaliana took a small razor to her thumb. With a swift and sure jerk, she slid it across her stubby appendage, slicing it open. She flinched at the stinging pain as she pressed the open cut against the tips of the rest of her fingers. Once all five digits glistened with blood at the tips, she began to form handseals._

"_Ino, Inu, Sawu, Towi, Hitsuji." She said quietly to herself, mispronouncing 'Saru' and 'Tori'._

_She opened the blood-tipped hand and held it high in the air._

"_Summoning Jutsu!" She shouted, brining her hand down._

"_KALIANA!" Akita's voice rang out. "COME DOWN HERE, PLEASE!"_

_Kaliana stopped just before smacking the floor with her open palm. A single sweatdrop fell from her brow. She let out a sigh and got up._

"_Coming, mommy!" Kaliana called._

_She looked down at her bloody hand and wiped it on her bright red shirt. "Dwat! I almost did it dat time, too!"  
_

_She opened her bedroom door and hopped down the stairs. Her eyes widened before she reached the last step._

"_Hey, there's my beautiful girl!" Kamachi held his arms wide open._

"_DADDY!" She leapt into her father's waiting arms and hugged him tightly. "I knew you'd be back for my birfday! I just knew it!"_

"_Now, you know I wouldn't miss your birthday for anything in the world!" Kamachi smiled, embracing his daughter._

_His eyes wandered to his wife, who stood idly by, watching the tender moment lovingly. Kamachi lifted Kaliana high in the air and kissed her face multiple times before setting her down._

"_I'm gonna go say hi to mommy now, okay?"_

"_Okay, daddy." Kaliana was happy to share him with her mother._

_Kamachi ran to his wife and lifted her in the air, kissing her face and lips. Kaliana turned her attention to the front door. Her eyes went wide as she sensed who was approaching. She ran over and flung the door open, surprising Kakashi, and nearly making him tumble backwards._

"_UNC-O KAKASHI!" She shouted, throwing her arms around his legs. "You came too! I was hoping you would!"_

"_Of course I came. What kind of uncle would I be if I didn't come to his nieces' 4__th__ birthday?"_

"_A busy one." She answered simply._

_Kakashi couldn't help but smile. He scooped his niece up in his arms. Kaliana pulled his mask down so that he could kiss her forehead. Satisfied she returned it to his face. He lifted her onto his shoulders._

"_You're so understanding for a 4 year old." He sighed, reaching for the doorknob. "Where's your mom and dad?"_

"_In da house…" Kaliana answered, fiddling with his hair. "…Making out."_

_Kakashi immediately withdrew his hand. "Really? Gross…thanks for telling me."_

_He left the porch and walked around to the side of Kamachi's massive estate. He sat his niece on the pasture fencing; Katavi was off in the distance grazing with some of his mares. Kakashi himself leaned on the fence, looking out at the horses._

"_I have something for you." Kakashi looked over at his niece, one eyebrow ascended. "A birthday present."_

"_Oh, boy! Can I have it now, pwease?" Kaliana hopped off the fence and began dancing eagerly around her uncle, palms open._

_Kakashi squinted at her thumb. He grabbed her hand and pulled it close. A smile formed beneath his mask._

"_You've been practicing jutsus, haven't you?" _

"_Maybe…" Kaliana muttered, her eyes shifted away from his. "Can I have my pwesent now?"_

_Kakashi rubbed his thumb over Kaliana's healing cut._

"_What have you been doing; The Summoning Jutsu? I didn't teach you that one." _

"_Daddy did." Kaliana suddenly cupped her hand over her mouth. "Oops…I wasn't s'posta tell…"_

_Kakashi's grin widened. "Did he? I assume mommy doesn't know about this, then?"_

"_Of couse not! You know she can't know about da ninja stuffs I do…" Kaliana trailed, sad that she had to keep so much from her mother._

"_What kind of ninja stuff does Kamachi do?" Kakashi asked curiously._

"_What do I look like? A nawrc or somefing?" Kaliana shouted._

_Kakashi couldn't help but laugh at Kaliana's mispronunciation of any word with the letters 'R' or 'TH 'in it. She had the cutest little speech impediment. _

"_No." He laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Nobody likes a narc."_

"_Do you have a pwesent for me or not?" _

"_Ah, yes." Kakashi reached into his pocket. He pulled something out, but kept it hidden behind his back. "Now, don't let your mom see this, or she'll stab me with it."_

_He pulled his hand from behind his back and offered Kaliana her gift. Wide eyed, she reached for it slowly._

"_Wow." She gasped, taking it in her hands. "A weal kunai knife! Dank-oo so much, unc-o Kakashi!" She threw her arms around his legs and hugged._

"_I knew you'd love it. But remember, keep it hidden from your mom, or she'll take it away like she took those shuriken I gave you."_

"_I pwomise." She hugged him again. "I wuv you, unc-o Kakashi."_

* * *

_Akita giggled loudly as Kamachi kissed and nibbled on her neck. He had been away on 'business' again for a few months, and he had missed his wife terribly. So, he had her pinned against the wall as he showered her with kisses continuously. A ring of the telephone broke up the reunion. He growled, rolled his eyes, and stomped into the living room. Akita took advantage of her freedom and dashed into the kitchen to check on the cake she was baking._

_Kamachi snatched the phone and brought to his ear._

"_What?" He asked, irritated._

"_Kamachi, it's me." The feminine voice answered._

"_Oh!" Kamachi exclaimed, realizing the voice on the other end was his sister. "What's up, Tsume? How's Kiba?"_

"_He's fine, the little monster…in that terrible 2's stage…"_

"_Good, Good…how's Hana?"_

"_Wonderful, actually. She's aspiring to be a veterinarian."_

"_That's great! I'm happy to hear that!"_

"_Kamachi…" Akita whispered. "Who're you talking to?"_

"_My sister." Kamachi whispered, covering the receiver with his free hand._

"_Oh!" She quickly snatched the phone from his hands and put it to her ear. "Hey, I got those dog-beds all made like you asked…yeah…I'll send him down there with them."_

_Kamachi tilted his head curiously. _

"…_alright…thank you! He'll be there is a little while. Okay, buh-bye." She hung up the phone and turned to her husband, who seemed confused. "Honey, will you do me a favor?" Akita pleaded as she left the room._

"_Of course. What is it?"_

_She returned with 4 large dog-beds tucked under her arm. "I made a deal with your sister. She's got a bunch of old cookbooks that I wanted, so in exchange for them, I made her these beds for her dogs. Will you bring them to her & get the cookbooks?" She handed him the stack of padded beds._

"_Today?" Kamachi asked. _

"_Yeah, there's some recipes I wanted to try for Kaliana's birthday. It's not going to take you long at all. Please?"_

"_Alright." Kamachi relented. He turned to walk out the door, only to be roughly snatched and whipped around. Now, it was him who was pinned against the wall, her big, juicy lips engulfing his in a passionate kiss. She pulled away slowly, leaving a very dumbfounded Kamachi._

"_I'll give you a special present when you come home." She whispered, licking her top lip seductively. _

"_Ooh…I'll make sure to be back before sunset."_

"_Make it sooner." She whispered before disappearing into the kitchen, lifting her skirt before she turned the corner, giving her husband a free peek._

_Kamachi sighed and shuddered. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear away the amorous thoughts, he bolted out the door, clutching the oversized pillows tightly under his arm._

* * *

"_Hold it like this." Kakashi instructed his little niece, using one of his own kunai as an example._

"_Like dis?" Kaliana questioned, trying her best to imitate her uncle's actions._

"_That's right. Now, when you throw it, flick your wrist, understand? Throw with your wrist." He let his knife fly. It hit one of the fence posts with great accuracy, digging deeply into the wood._

"_Okay…" Kaliana tried her best to toss the knife like Kakashi, but rather then fly into the wooden post, it landed 2 feet in front of her, burrowing deep in the dirt. _

_Kakashi laughed hard and shook his head. "You're still throwing it too hard! Throw from your wrist, not your elbow…"_

"_Hey, there you are!" Kamachi's voice rang out as he rounded the corner of the house._

_Kakashi and Kaliana quickly stood in front of their knives, hands behind their backs. Kamachi stopped short, knowing they were hiding something._

"_Whatcha guys doing?"_

"_Nothing." Both Kakashi and Kaliana answered simultaneously. Kaliana removed her shoe, reached her foot back, gripped her toes around the knife's handle, and pulled it from the ground. She then lifted it up with her foot and placed the forbidden toy in her hand, keeping it well hidden behind her back. She replaced her foot in the shoe._

"_Mmm hmm…" Kamachi mumbled, only half believing them. "Kaliana, go inside and help your mommy in the kitchen, okay?"_

"_Okay daddy." She agreed, still keeping her hands behind her back. She turned to her uncle. "See ya, unc-o Kakashi."_

"_Yeah…see ya, squirt." Kakashi motioned with his head towards the cellar door at the bottom of the house. _

_Kaliana nodded and winked. She walked passed her father, taking care to keep the knife well hidden. As she passed him, she brought it to her chest, hiding it under her little blue vest. Once fully behind her father, she slipped it under the cellar door. Satisfied that her weapon was in a safe area, she continued into the house. _

_Kamachi kept his eyes on Kakashi the whole time, but he knew very well what was going on. Kakashi was certain his brother-in-law was aware of his actions, but neither said a word about it. Kamachi quickly changed the subject when he noticed Kakashi's new green vest._

"_Alright!" He cheered. "So, you're a Jounin now, huh? And only 16 years old…I'll have to watch how I talk to you from now on, won't I?" He patronized the young Jounin playfully._

"_Yeah…maybe try talking to me like an adult instead of like a 3 year-old?" Kakashi suggested in his usual sarcastic tone._

"_Ooh, he's a big boy now, I keep forgetting…" Kamachi teased as he reached into his shirt pocket. "I have a present for our big, strong graduating man."_

_Kakashi's first instinct was to tackle the cocky Lord to the ground and wail on him, as he usually did. But, today, he refrained himself. "A present? What is it? A lifetime pass to Chuckie Cheese's?"_

_Kamachi rolled his eyes and shoved an old book into Kakashi's hands. "Don't get too excited. It's not porn."_ _He winked._

_Kakashi growled at the comment as he read the tattered cover of the antique book. "Kekei GenKai Techniques...cool. Where'd you get this?"_

_"It's an old family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation. I figured you'd get some use out of it."_

_Kakashi looked down at the old book, then placed it in his vest pocket. "Thanks. I...I appreciate it. Though, I must say, I'd have preferred a stripper leaping out of a cake."_

_"Damn, you figured out my surprise for your 18th birthday." Kamachi simply flashed his usual, arrogant grin as he jumped on the fence railing and cupped his hands over his mouth._

"_**KATAVI! COME ON, BOY! LET'S GO!**" He finished his shouting with a loud whistle. _

_While Kamachi was busy calling for his horse, who lumbered lazily towards him, Kakashi tried yanking the knife from the wood post, but it was in there pretty deep, and he simply could not move it. With a defeated groan, he turned back to Kamachi, who was still standing tall on the fence post._

"_Come on, lazy-bones!" He tried to encourage his horse to come to him at a quicker pace, but Katavi was taking his own, sweet-ass time to get there._

_Kakashi grabbed Kamachi by the bottom of his shirt and roughly pulled him to the ground. Kamachi looked up, confused and only slightly agitated._

"_Where are you going?" Kakashi asked. "It's your daughter's birthday."_

"_Akita wants me to bring these dog beds to my sister in exchange for some vintage cookbooks. I don't know why…she has enough cookbooks in the house, but she really seems to want them. Besides, I get a special treat if I bring them back before sunset." He finished with a wink, picking himself up from the ground._

_Kakashi shuddered at the thought. "Yuck…"_

_Kamachi felt like grossing out Kakashi even more, so he looked up at the sky and sighed. "Yeah, your sister and me are going to have us one freaky night… all that cake icing…"_

"_Please…stop…" Kakashi moaned, beginning to feel ill._

"…_Yeah boy, all night, it's gonna be, BANG, BANG, BANG!" He thrust his hips against the dog pillows in rhythm with each 'bang'._

"_GOOD LORD!" Kakashi shouted, his hands over his ears._

"_Hey, that's what she says!"_

"_UGH! Excuse me while I go throw up…" Kakashi turned away, holding his stomach._

"_What?" Kamachi asked, confused. "I thought you wanted me to talk to you like a grown up…"_

"_That doesn't mean I wanna hear about your twisted sexual relationship with my sister!" Kakashi moaned. "You nasty, son of a…"_

"_Watch your mouth, little boy." Kamachi teased as he opened the gate to let out his horse. Katavi flicked his tail as he exited the pasture, drooping the long, tangled mess over Kakashi's head._

_Kakashi spat and flailed until the mop of a tail finally freed him of its grip. The newly declared Jounin glared at his dirty brother-in-law as he mounted the big, gold stallion, draping the soiled dog pillows over the horses' withers. Before heading off, Kamachi reached down and pulled the kunai knife from the wood post with ease. Kakashi tilted his head, astounded, as Kamachi handed the knife over to his bewildered brother-in-law. _

"_You toss with your wrist." He advised. "But, you pull with your elbow."_

_Kakashi stared stupidly as Kamachi turned his horse around and cantered away. The newly graduated Jounin glanced down at the kunai knife in his hand. He grunted as he put it away and turned towards the house._

"_Well, I loosened it…"_

* * *

_Katavi trotted down the main road that led to Tsume's house. Kamachi gave his horse the signal to halt by tugging the stallion's long mane. The horse stopped near a dirt road that led into a dark forest. _

"_Let's take the shortcut." Kamachi decided; cueing the horse with his legs._

_Katavi hesitated, tossing his head. Kamachi cued the horse again with a sharper kick. Reluctantly, Katavi moved forward into the deep woods, flicking his ears uneasily._

"_It's alright boy." Kamachi comforted. "We've been down this trail a couple times before; there's nothing wrong with it. What could possibly happen?"_

* * *

_Kakashi walked into the house; the smell of baked sweets permeating the air caused his mouth to water. _

"_Akita?" He called._

"_I'm in the kitchen!" She answered. _

_She came out to greet him, wiping her hands in a towel. She threw her hands in the air, as well as the towel, when she seen what he was wearing._

"_Oh! Look at you! You look so handsome in that Jounin vest! We have to celebrate."_

_Kakashi excitedly followed his sister into the kitchen, where she had a bottle of sake and 2 glasses waiting._

"_I knew today would be a special day, so I had Kaliana go down into the cellar and get me this." She held up the bottle._

"_Where is she now?" He asked curiously, knowing she'd probably collecting the knife and has gone into her room with it._

"_Oh, she's upstairs. Honestly, that girl needs to make some friends." Akita rolled her eyes as she opened the bottle and poured some of the rice wine in the glasses._

_She handed one to her brother and held hers in the air. "Cheers." She said before drinking._

_Kakashi sniffed the drink cautiously before sipping it. He'd never had alcohol before. But after just one taste, he quickly downed the rest in his shot glass. He slammed it on the counter._

"_Hit me." He said with gusto._

"_Alright…" Akita gave in. "…but just one more! You're still only 16. I can get in big trouble for this, ya know." She warned as she poured him a second glass._

"_I won't tell if you won't." He grinned as he took it down in one gulp. "Hit me."_

"_That's enough, alchy! When you turn 18, I'll teach you to take Tequila shots. Here." She offered him the spoon she'd scrapped out the cake batter with. "Take this and go watch TV."_

"_Akita, I'm 16 and I'm a Jounin. You think I'd still want to lick the spoon like a 4 year old?" He snatched the spoon and put it in his mouth. "Don't tell anyone." He muttered as he entered the living room and plopped himself on the couch. _

_He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. Though he was in Kamachi's house, he knew they had his favorite channel, so he attempted to put it on. But much to his dismay, a snowy screen replaced it._

"_What happened to my Spice channel?" He asked, a bit perturbed._

"_I had Kamachi get rid of it. We don't need it."_

"_**WHAT!?** How could you do that to me!?" He whined pathetically._

"_Oh, stop being cheap and just go buy a dirty magazine." Akita scoffed._

"_But dirty magazines lack the oh-so-important sound effects!" He continued to whimper._

_Akita came into the room, opened a desk drawer and pulled out a small book. She tossed it in Kakashi's lap._

"_Read that. It's really good." She ordered._

"_A book?" He picked it up and read the title. He groaned as he opened it to the first chapter. "Why in the name of everything horny would I want…to read…" He trailed off as he began reading the first few lines. "Ooh…"_

_He sat back comfortably and started on the road to his new addiction with a paperback porn titled "Make-Out Paradise"._

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Isn't Akita, like, the best big sister ever??? XD**


	7. ACT II: Ch:3 Wrong Place Wrong Time

**_Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound_**

_**Act II: Tragic Destinies**_

_**Chapter 3: Wrong Place; Wrong Time**_

_-------------------------------------------------------------_

_A little 6-year-old boy ran frantically through the forest, trying to evade the 3 vicious men chasing him. The young boy was battered and bloody, as he had turned several times to face the men. In fact, when they had begun, 6 men were chasing him, and he'd killed 3 of them himself. But he was tired now, having overused one of his jutsus. He looked over his shoulder, hoping desperately that he'd lost them. But there they were, pursuing him like a pack of ravenous hyenas. The now frightened boy continued to run blindly through the forest; He didn't want to die…he hadn't accomplished anything yet. As he ran through the darkness of the woods, he couldn't help but wish deep down inside that someone was out there today to rescue him…_

* * *

_Kamachi kept Katavi at a slow jog, for his partner seemed unusually spooky today. He tried calming the stallion with soothing words of praise, but the horse just would not respond. He tossed his head nervously, crow-hopped, and side-trotted all over the trail._

"_Katavi, what is with you today? Of all days! Let's just get this over with already. I'm losing wood here."_

_Kamachi was desperate to finish running this errand so that he may go home and make hot, nasty, cake-covered love to his wife, but Katavi was being very uncooperative. Suddenly, a young boy exploded out of the trees and ran smack into Katavi's shoulder. The horse reared and whinnied, throwing Kamachi from his back. Katavi was so spooked, he didn't even notice that he'd lost his rider. He leapt over the frightened boy, who ducked his head down so as not to be struck with a hoof, and galloped down the trail. Kamachi got up, rubbing his back and moaning painfully. He looked up at the beaten and bruised kid, who in turn, looked back at him, fear in his black, little eyes. Kamachi jumped up immediately and ran to the boy._

"_Oh my gosh! Are you okay, kid?" He grabbed the little boy by the shoulders and looked at his bloody face. "Who did this to you?"_

_The 3 men leapt from the trees and surrounded the boy and Kamachi. The boy got up, tired and bloody. _

"_If you're gonna kill me, then just do it already." He said in a serious, defeated tone. "I'm tired of running."_

_Kamachi leapt to his feet and stood in front of the boy protectively. "Nobody's killing anybody! What's going on here?"_

"_And who the hell are you?" One of the men snapped. _

"_I'm Kamachi Inuzuka; Lord of the Inuzuka Clan, and you just happen to be in Inuzuka territory. This boy is under my jurisdiction now. So, I suggest you leave."_

_The boy looked up at Kamachi, bewildered._

"_What're you doing?" He whispered._

"_Don't worry about it." Kamachi whispered back. "Just stay behind me."_

"_This is ridiculous." Another of the men growled. "Let's just kill this moron and then kill the kid."_

"_Right." The other 2 men agreed as they charged at Kamachi at the same time._

_Kamachi waited patiently for them men to come just within reach. Suddenly, lifted his hands and performed 3 handseals: Usagi, Ino, Nezumi._

"_Earth style: Quick Sand jutsu!"_

_The moment the 2 men stepped close, the earth opened up and they disappeared into oblivion. Kamachi closed his hands together in a clap. A sudden geyser of blood burst from the ground and rained down on the leader. Kamachi stood tall, his eyes narrow._

"_I won't say it again…" He warned coldly. "Leave the kid alone & get off __my__ land."_

_The leader of the group was shocked. Even the kid couldn't take his eyes off the gory scene._

"_You…you killed my men…" The man managed to stammer out. "**YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!**" The guy screamed before charging._

_Kamachi immediately made the handseal for the Transformation jutsu. In a blast of white smoke, he turned into Katavi. _

"_Get on! Hurry!" He shouted telepathically at the boy. _

_The boy simply sat there, staring up stupidly. It was clear that he was in shock. So, Kamachi grabbed the boy's shirt-collar in his mouth and flung him on his back._

"_Hang on!" He shouted as he proceeded to gallop forward, bearly being grazed by the shuriken the charging man had let fly._

_The boy instinctively grabbed a hold of the long flying mane so that he wouldn't fall off. Kamachi tore through the trail, following the tracks of his real horse. _

"_That jutsu…" The boy finally snapped back into reality. "I've never seen anything like it!"_

"_A friend from the Sand Village taught me the Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu. I just modified it, that's all!"_

"_It was…really something…" The boy complimented. _

"_Let me ask you something…why were those guys trying to kill you?"_

_The boy looked away. "People are trying to kill me all the time…" He said coldly._

"_But why?"_

_The boy was about to answer when the assassin suddenly dropped down and landed on Kamachi's back. He tried to quickly grab the little boy by the head and run a knife across his throat, but Kamachi stopped short and dropped the jutsu, causing both the man and the boy to go flying off. The boy landed directly in front of the man, who got up slowly, a look of madness on his scarred face._

"_Now, I've got you…" He pulled a dagger from his cloak and held it high above the boy. He brought it down hard and swift…_

_A sudden jolt to the spine sent the little boy hurling across the trail and into a bush. He got up and turned. Kamachi had slid across the ground on his knees and pushed the child out of the way just in time, the dagger now buried deep in the young Lord's thigh. He groaned painfully as he went to pull it out. It had dug into his artery, and the blood was rapidly spilling from his body._

_The assassin sat there, eyes wide with shock. Kamachi took this opportunity & punched the man in the nose, driving it into his brain. The man rolled his eyes in the back of his head and died instantly._

* * *

_Tsume Inuzuka lifted her head when she heard the sound of thundering hooves._

"_That must be Kamachi." She thought to herself, entering the house and grabbing the cookbooks. _

_She became very distraught when Katavi approached without a rider. "Kamachi? Kamachi, are you there?" She dropped the books and grabbed the horse by the face and pulled him close._

"_What happened? Where's my brother? Take me to him, Katavi!"_

_Katavi seemed just as surprised, if not more so, then Tsume to see that Kamachi was not riding him. He nickered and turned back towards the road. Tsume mounted him and whistled. 4 large dogs came bounding out of the house, howling and barking up a storm._

"_Go find Kamachi!" She ordered._

_Upon hearing the command, the dogs dashed ahead, the horse loping closely behind._

* * *

_Kamachi immediately began feeling the effects of the blood draining from his body. He crawled to a fallen log and lay against it, his breathing labored. The boy approached him cautiously. Kamachi turned to him and smiled the best he could._

"_Hey, kid…" He coughed out weakly. "You okay?"_

_The boy looked at him, coldness in his eyes. "You fool…why did you do that?"_

_Kamachi turned away, blood trickling from his mouth._

"_**WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!?**__" The boy shouted, angry and hurt. "You…should've just…stayed out of it…" He growled, hot tears threatening to cascade from his eyes. "I could've taken them all out myself…"_

"_Yeah…sure you could, kid…" Kamachi groaned, obviously not believing him. "Maybe I should've…t-t-turned…" He sputtered and paused for a moment, the pain increasing. "If the Black Ninja were here…he would've been able to defeat them…and survive long enough to..." Again, he forced to stop due to the pain of having his organs failing._

"_But, he isn't here." The boy's voice cracked. "You idiot…"_

"_No…I guess not." Kamachi himself began to cry, not out of fear of dying, but out of sadness for what he was about to leave behind. "Oh, Kita…I'm so sorry. This is not how it was supposed to be…" His own voice was beginning to crack now. "We were supposed to grow old together…you and me…and Kaliana…I'm so sorry I won't be able to watch you grow up…I'm sorry…"_

_A drizzle of rain began to fall from the gray clouds above. Kamachi looked up at the darkness, his face wet from both tears & the mist that sprayed him. He laid his hands across his chest with the last bit of strength and formed a handseal. _

"_I'll try to…make it up…to you…Kaliana…I'll try to…protect you…"_

_His green eyes glazed over as death crept upon him. The boy leaned over, eyes wide with curiosity. That handseal…he'd never in his life seen it before, and he was an excellent little ninja at his age with an impressive knowledge of many jutsus._

_That's odd…__ He thought to himself. __I wonder what that handseal was supposed to do? What does it mean?_

_The boy closed his eyes. He brought his right fist to his face, his middle finger and index finger ascended._

"_Sharingan!"_

_His eyes shot open, his pupils replaced by large red wheels with black markings inside. He stared intently at the handseal for a few moments, recognizing it as an illustration he'd once seen in a scroll of Forbidden Jutsus. The... __Once After Death handseal? So…it's a real jutsu, then? Amazing...__ It certainly was like nothing he'd ever seen in person before…_

_He pulled away, blinking his eyes back to normal. He stared at the brave, noble young Lord's expired body. He couldn't help but feel the slightest twinge of remorse for this poor, unwitting fellow. _

_"Serves you right…" He growled._

_But he couldn't help but feel at the same time, that maybe there was a bit more to this fool with such a knowledge of unique jutsus then met the eye... _

_The sound of approaching hooves and barking dogs sent the boy scurrying into the forest and hiding in a tall tree._

----

_The dogs stopped and sniffed the body; they tossed their heads back and let out a howl. Within moments, Tsume appeared on Katavi. She threw herself from the horses' back and ran to her brothers' body._

"_Kamachi!" She shook her brother violently. Slowly, she put her fingers to her brothers' neck. There was no pulse._

"_No…" She whimpered in disbelief. Her brother was dead. She cradled his head and held him to her chest, crying heavily. "No, no, no…" She chanted, not wanting to believe her brother was no more. She looked over and noticed the other dead man. "What has happened here?"_

_Katavi walked over and nudged his master. He nickered and nudged him again._

"_No, Katavi…" Tsume whimpered. "He's dead."_

_The horse didn't understand. He pinned his ears back and gave the body a hard nip. Still, no reaction. The horse looked hopelessly at his master. His nostrils flared, he flicked an ear. It had finally sunken in…his master was no longer alive. Katavi threw his head back and reared, his mournful cry echoing throughout the forest. He finished with a pitiful squeal as he dropped down to his knees and rubbed his head over Kamachi's limp body. Tears began flowing from his mismatched eyes as Tsume lifted Kamachi's body onto his back. The stallion shakily got to his feet, moaning between his snorts._

"_Let's go." Tsume squeaked, rubbing the tears from her eyes. The rain began to fall harder and the sky grew darker as night hung over the tragic scene._

_The dogs sniffed around a tree in the forest and barked, but their owners' call sent them running away and disappearing from sight._

_The little boy who was hiding in the tree slowly climbed down. A wet piece of paper lay in the spot where Kamachi's body was. The little boy approached and picked it up. The corners were stained with fresh blood, and the photo itself was soaking wet, but the boy could make out the shapes of a woman, who he assumed was the wife, and a little girl. He remembered Kamachi calling her 'Kaliana'._

_The boy stared at the picture for a long time. He looked up at the angry sky, allowing the water to pound on his face._

"_You're a foolish man, Kamachi. If only you'd have stayed out of it…well, it's your loss and your family's loss as well. What purpose did it serve? You've proven absolutely nothing." His voice became cold and unfeeling as he switched his focus back down to the photo, at the little girl in particular. "Do you expect a favor in return…do you expect me to avenge your death? What a joke." He tore the piece of paper in half and threw the pieces on the ground. "I, Itachi Uchiha, am __**NOT**__ an avenger."_

* * *

_The loud ring of the phone echoed throughout the house._

"_Kakashi, could you get that?" Akita called from the kitchen._

_Begrudgingly, Kakashi managed to tear his eyes from the book and pick up the phone._

"_Hello?"_

"_Kakashi…Thank goodness it's you and not Akita…I don't think I have it in me to tell her…" Tsume's voice sounded troubled, and Kakashi picked up on that immediately._

"_What's happened?" He asked, concerned. _

"_It was a varitable bloodbath, I tell you…" Her voice trembled as she went on to explain the gory discovery in the forest near her home._

_Akita stuck her head from out of the kitchen when she heard the click of the phone on the cradle._

"_Who was it?" She asked._

_Kakashi turned to her, his eyes red with tears. She exited the kitchen and walked slowly towards her distraught brother._

"_What is it?" Her voice rising sharply, knowing something was dreadfully wrong. "Tell me Kakashi!" She shouted as she grabbed his shoulders & shook him violently. "Is it Kamachi? What happened?" Her voice was now filled with complete terror._

_Kakashi began to speak, his voice cracking all the way through. "That was…Tsume." He stopped to take a deep breath. "She…she found Kamachi in the woods…"_

_Akita lifted her hands over her mouth, preparing herself for the worst news she could ever imagine._

"_He's been murdered, Akita." Kakashi finished tearing his eyes away from hers. "I'm sorry." He could no longer hold back the tears. He was not so much sad for Kamachi as he was for his sister and niece._

_Akita stood there in shock. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. She began shaking uncontrollably. Kakashi turned back to her and opened his arms wide. He held her tightly as she finally exploded into tears. She buried her face in his vest, trying to muffle her horrific screams. Kakashi knew his comforting meant nothing at this point. Akita was inconsolable. She cried on her brothers' shoulder for hours._

* * *

_Kaliana crept slowly down the stares. She could sense something was wrong. Both Akita and Kakashi lifted their heads when she entered the living room. She looked around nervously._

"_What's wong mommy? Where's daddy?" She whimpered softly._

_This only made Akita cry even harder. She got up and ran into the kitchen, where she threw herself against the wall and sunk down, crying in her knees. Kakashi motioned for Kaliana to come sit with him, fighting to hold back his own emotions, which threatened to explode, as his sisters did. Kaliana walked up to her uncle and took a seat on the couch next to him._

"_What's wong, Unc-o Kakashi? Why is everwybody cwying? Where's my daddy?" She inquired again, this time with tears welling up in her little questioning eyes._

_Kakashi looked at Kaliana's innocent, chubby face. How could he possibly tell her?_

"_Kaliana…your daddy…won't be home for your birthday." He looked away, wiping the tears from his face._

"_How come?" She asked in her tiny voice, not sure she really wanted him to answer._

_Kakashi's eyes darted from side to side as he searched for an example. He brought them back to Kaliana._

"_Remember when you found your goldfish with his belly up in the bowl, and mommy told you it had gone to heaven?"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_Well…daddy went to heaven today…" Kakashi stopped again, the tears cascading from his eyes like a waterfall._

_Kaliana looked up, confused. "But…he wasn't supposed to go to heaven until he was old and I was gwown up!"_

"_I know, I know…but…"_

"_I don't want daddy to go to heaven yet…" She cried, her face turning red as her own tears began to flow uncontrollably now. Akita's cry became louder as her daughters' understanding of the situation became painfully apparent._

_Kakashi bit his lip in an attempt to avoid the cry in him that was begging to come out._

"_I wish there was something I could do…" He finally broke down, covering his face with his hand._

_Akita slowly came out of the kitchen, her face flushed and moist from the tears. "Kaliana…" She whispered. "I don't want daddy to go to heaven yet either…but it's too late. He's gone." _

"_No!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, "It's not twue! It…can't be…" Kaliana didn't want to believe that she'd never see her father again. She hid her face in the couch pillows and cried violently. _

_Akita was at a loss. She sat down in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room and continued her cry, her hand over her gaping mouth. Kakashi scooped Kaliana in his arms and brought her upstairs, trying so hard to console her as well._

* * *

_After an hour or so, he returned. Akita was sitting on the couch, sniffling. Kakashi took a seat next to her._

"_I finally got her to go to sleep. You want me to stay the night?" He offered._

"_Would you?" Akita asked hopefully, her face still burning._

"_Of course." Kakashi put his arm around his sister and held her close. "I'll stay as long as you need me."_

_Akita rested her head on his shoulder, staring blankly into space._

"_Kakashi…" She whispered._

"_What is it?"_

"_I need to ask you something, but you have to be truthful in the answer." She looked up at her younger brother hopefully. "If anything happens to me…could I trust you to take care of her?" __Kakashi looked into his sisters' ocean-blue eyes. _"_I don't want her in an orphanage, and I know she wouldn't fit into the Inuzuka clan…she doesn't look like them, she looks like us. If for any reason, I can't take care of her anymore…would you do it?" She looked up at him pleadingly. _

"_Don't talk like that, nothings going to happen to you."_

_She grabbed her brother by his shirt & pulled his face close to hers. "Just promise me!"_

_Kakashi nodded. "Of course I would. I'll never let anything bad happen to her. I promise."_

_Akita, somewhat relieved, placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes._

"_Thank you…"_


	8. ACT II: Ch:4 'Til the Bittersweet End

_**Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound **_

_**Act**__** II: Tragic Destinies**_

_**Chapter 4: Til' the Bittersweet End**_

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**2 months later…  
**_

_Kaliana sat in her room twirling a kunai knife on her finger. She'd never let her mother lay eyes on it since her Uncle Kakashi gave it to her. Her throwing skills were improving, but her aim still needed work._

"_Kaliana! Come down here and help me." Akita called, the usual sadness in her voice._

_Kaliana hide the knife in her pocket and ran to her broken-hearted mother. Kamachi had been killed two months ago and his widowed wife still heavily grieved. Kaliana, too, missed her father and it pained her to see her mother in such sorrow._

"_Yes, mommy?" Kaliana asked, standing up straight and ready for her mother's orders._

"_Kaliana, mix this for me. I'm going out to gather eggs." She handed her daughter a large bowl and a wooden spoon._

"_Okay." Kaliana agreed, her own melancholy tone matching Akita's. _

_She twirled the spoon several times before placing it in the bowl. Akita noticed this action & slammed the counter top with a firm, open hand._

"_Don't do that!" She screamed, causing Kaliana to jump. "I know what my brother has been teaching you! Do you think I'm stupid?"_

"_No…" Kaliana whimpered._

"_Do you think I'm not aware of what you do in your room all day? **DO YOU THINK THAT I BELIEVE THOSE HOLES IN YOUR WALLS ARE MADE BY TERMITES?**"_

"_N…no…"_

"_What have I told you about ninjas?"_

"_They're no good…" Kaliana repeated what her mother had been telling her everyday since Kamachi died._

"_Am I talking to myself when I say that? Am I talking to the walls?"_

"_I'm sowwy!" Kaliana, whimpered, not wanting to upset her mother anymore then she already was._

_Akita stopped her badgering and pulled Kaliana close to her face. "No more ninja training." She said sternly. "I'm not kidding. Do you understand?"_

"_Yes mommy." Kaliana said obediently._

"_Promise?"_

"_I pwomise."_

_Akita stood up straight, wiped the tears of frustration from her face and walked out the door with the egg basket in her hand._

_As Kaliana watched her leave, she picked up the spoon she had placed behind her back…uncrossing her fingers._

* * *

_Akita walked over to each nest box and pulled the eggs out. The hens were cackling up a storm each time she put her hand in one of the boxes. She rolled her eyes._

"_Oh, shut up, you dumb birds." She moaned._

_In one of the boxes, a viper slept, coiled around an egg. It didn't much appreciate being poked and prodded by a hand that searched for the eggs. Puffing itself up, it struck at the hand, biting it swiftly. Akita screamed as she withdrew her hand, cradling it against her chest. She went to walk forward, but the old barn floor gave way to her weight, as her foot plummeted through the rotten boards. Her face was now level with the nest box. As she slowly looked inside, the viper struck again, burying its venomous fangs deep in her neck._

* * *

_Several minutes had gone by and Akita had not returned from collecting eggs. Kaliana looked out the window. She didn't see her mother. She opened the door and called. _

"_Mommy! Are you done yet?"_

_No response came to little Kaliana's waiting ears. She walked out the door towards the chicken coop._

"_Mommy?" She called a second time. Again, no response._

_Kaliana rounded the corner of the coop and stopped. Her eyes widened and she ceased breathing. Her mother lay across the floor, her leg jammed in the floorboards, broken eggs all around her._

"_M-m-mommy?" She whispered, almost afraid to speak._

_Akita didn't answer. She wasn't even breathing. Kaliana moved forward, but stopped when she heard a hiss. There, in one of the nest boxes, lay a viper curled around an egg. The snake puffed up its body and opened its mouth, revealing two, long, blood tipped fangs. It slithered from the nest box onto Akita's body. Kaliana backed up slowly; realizing her mother was dead. Eyes full of tears, she turned and ran from the barn. She couldn't live at that place any longer, as in her child's mind, it held nothing but tragedy. She dashed up the driveway and down the road, never once looking back._

* * *

_**Meanwhile, at Kamachi's main barn in the Inuzuka Village…**_

**_----_**

_Katavi hadn't eaten since Kamachi was found dead in the forest. Tsume had brought the horse to Kamachi's main barn in the Inuzuka village, where he had kept most of his other horses, and housed the distraught stallion in a large stall normally given to mares with foals. The stallion had reverted back to his wild ways, and refused all manners of nourishment. His once proud muscles were sunken in; his skin hung loosely off his weak body. His hooves were cracked and his mane and tail were matted. His eyes were always wide with panic. He'd kicked at his stall door and whinny all through the night. The stable hands tried to calm the horse by sedating him, putting a mare in estrus in his stall and even, as a last resort, gelding him; but nothing worked. Now, the broken hearted horse was beginning to take his toll on everyone at the barn._

_Tsume was called in one day after the horse struck down a groom and pinned him in the stall. Euthanasia was in everyone's opinion, but she refused to let that happen._

_"Have you tried turning him out?" She asked the grooms, upset by Katavi's neglected state._

_"We can't get near him to put a halter on! I'm telling you, this horse needs to be put down." The groom argued. "He's miserable, can't you see that?"_

_Tsume ignored the grooms' ramblings. She knew exactly what the horse wanted. She approached the stall and unlatched it._

_"Hey…what're you doing?" The groom asked worriedly. "Don't open that! Are you crazy! He'll kill you!"_

_As soon as Katavi heard the door unlatch, he burst through it, sending Tsume flying backwards into the groom. The horse dashed out of the barn and up the road. He galloped hard through his weak state all the way to the cemetery. He leapt over the gates and finally stopped at Kamachi's grave. Katavi reared on his hind legs, his frail body easily lifted. He pawed at the grave and lay down, leaning against the tombstone._

_By the time the grooms and Tsume arrived at the scene, Katavi was dead, finally allowing his hungry weakened state to overtake him. Tsume lowered her head, her eyes closed, as a single tear rolled down her cheek._

_"It's over now. Katavi is finally happy."_

* * *

**_The next day  
----_**

_Kakashi and Obito charged at each other with great speed. As Kakashi moved to the side to dodge a kunai knife, Obito slid to the side matching Kakashi's movement. When Kakashi leapt into the air to kick, Obito again paralleled him. And no matter what Jutsu Kakashi decided to throw at him, Obito fired back with the same jutsu. Kakashi was beginning to become agitated at his teammates' copycat moves. By the end of the training session, Kakashi always found himself to be a bloody mess; Obito bearly had a scratch on him._

_Yondaime watched with precaution, as the boys would often break into a nasty brawl that needed to be attended to. Rin watched from her place on the grass, eagerly awaiting her turn to battle someone. She looked up at her sensei._

_"They're getting serious again." She warned, noticing the tension between the battling boys._

_"Don't worry, Rin. I know when it'll be time to step in and break it up…"_

_Obito peered at the weary Kakashi through his goggles. "What's the matter, Kakashi? Getting tired?" He snickered._

_"Yeah, I'm getting' tired…of you copying every move I make!" Kakashi growled between breaths. "Why don't you try something original for a change?"_

_"Jealousy doesn't become you. Besides, you'd only understand if YOU had the Sharingan! But, that'll never happen, will it?"_

_He suddenly lunged at Kakashi. The masked Jounin didn't expect such a random attack, and therefore, was unable to dodge it. Obito's closed fist made contact with Kakashi's face. Kakashi was down and out._

_"Alright Obito." Yondaime called. "That's enough. You've been victorious once again." His voice sounded bored; he knew Obito always won, and probably always would win._

_He turned to Rin and nudged her with his foot. She knew it what it meant. She pulled herself to her feet and ran to Kakashi's side. She lifted his head into her lap._

_"You okay?" She asked gently._

_Kakashi kept his eyes averted. He was always embarrassed when he lost to Obito._

_"I'm fine…" He mumbled as he turned his head in an attempt to hide his burning cheeks._

_Yondaime turned when he noticed one of the Chunin form the Academy approaching. The man wore all black clothes and black sunglasses. He stopped near Yondaime and whispered something to him. The team watched as Yondaime's expression turned sorrowful. They began to feel uneasy._

_"I wonder what that's about?" Rin thought out loud._

_Obito stayed silent, his eyes narrowing. Kakashi couldn't help but feel a sick sensation in the pit of his stomach. He slowly, wearily got to his feet. Yondaime turned to his students, a definite pain in his blue eyes._

_"Class dismissed." He said in a cracking voice. "Kakashi…come with me."_

_Kakashi hesitated, but after a moment, he followed his Sensei away from the others, who were compelled to watch and listen to what tragedy had befallen their teammate._

_Once he felt he were far enough away from the others, Yondaime lowered his head and whispered something to Kakashi. Rin and Obito watched as Kakashi fell to his knees, his face in his hands._

_"Is he crying?" Obito asked, squinting his eyes._

_They could hear Kakashi distinctly screaming, "NO! NO, please! Don't say that! Anything but that…"_

_Rin cupped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, my gosh! Poor Kakashi! I wonder what's wrong!"  
-----_

_Yondaime tried very hard to console his student, who was shaking at his feet in tears. His sister was dead; her body full of viper toxins. The thought of never ever seeing her again tore his heart out, as he loved Akita more then anything._

_"Kakashi…" Yondaime put his hand on his students' back. "They want to talk to you…about Kaliana. They were thinking about putting her in a Group Home for a while…"_

_"What?!" Kakashi rushed to his feet and dashed away. "I can't let them do that! I promised I wouldn't!" He left behind a trail of dust as he vanished down the road.  
-----_

_Rin and Obito approached their sensei slowly._

_"Sensei…" Rin whispered softly. "W…what happened?"_

_Yondaime revealed the news to them as well. Rin couldn't help but shed some tears for her teammate. Even Obito was forced to turn away his face, least one of his own tears escape. Yondaime looked towards where Kakashi had run off, and followed, leaving his other students behind to grieve for their friend._

* * *

_Kakashi bursts through the doors of the Child Welfare Center. He scanned the building, hoping to catch a glimpse of his niece. He noticed, in a room on the other side of the office, Kaliana's feet swinging from a chair. He ran towards her. A man who worked their tried to stop him, but Kakashi roughly shoved him out of the way. He nearly tripped over the threshold as he threw himself into the room. Kaliana picked up her head, eyes wide._

_"Unc-o Kakashi!" She leapt off the chair and into his arms._

_"Kaliana…" He hugged her tightly, tears pouring from his face. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that…"_

_"It's okay, Unc-o Kakashi", She said sounding very mature for such a young child as she cupped his face in her hands. "Mommy's with daddy & they're happy now, cuz they're together." Kaliana whispered gently._

_Kakashi tightened his grip around her, not wanting to let her go. But the voice of the caseworker broke them_ up.

_"Are you the child's legal guardian?" She asked in a snide tone._

_"Check her birth certificate!" Kakashi snapped. "I'm her Godfather. I take responsibility for her should anything happen to her parents."_

_The caseworker eyed Kakashi through her glasses. She was not impressed._

_"Mr. Hatake, I'm obligated to inform you that raising a child, especially a man with a profession like yours, will be very difficult. How will you manage to take care of her while you're on missions? Where will she be schooled? Do you have any experience on raising a child? All of these matters must be addressed before we can hand just her over to you. I know you mean well, young man, but we must think about what's best for the child. Please try and understand."_

_"You understand this, lady! I promised her mother I'd take care of her. I won't let you put her in an orphanage. She needs me. As for my missions, I can assure you…I…I'll figure something out."_

_"Well, you can assure me all you want. I can't let you take her without the proper conditions."_

_"Excuse me." A voice came from behind._

_They turned to see Tsume Inuzuka, her arms crossed tightly._

_"I'm the child's aunt. I'm not a full-time ninja, and I can take in my niece when Kakashi is out on missions. I have a daughter and son of my own, so I am more then qualified to watch her when Kakashi is in disposed. Is there a problem with that?"_

_The caseworker peered down over her hooked nose and scoffed._

_"Come into my office, both of you. You will need to sign some paperwork first."_

_Tsume and the caseworker disappeared inside her office. Kakashi turned to Kaliana, his hands on her shoulder._

_"Don't worry. We're going to work everything out, okay?"_

_"Okay." She said softly as she watched her uncles disappear behind the office doors.  
-----_

_After a few moments, Yondaime walked into the room where Kaliana waited. Though he'd never met her before, he could tell immediately that she was Kakashi's niece. He walked over and took a seat near her, smiling gently._

_"Hello." He greeted._

_"Hi." She said shyly._

_"Do you know who I am?" He asked gently._

_Kaliana looked close at his face. "Of couse I do. You're da new Hokage."_

_"That's right." He said with a smile. "I was also good friends with your father."_

_"Weally?"_

_"Yup. I'm your uncle's Sensei too."_

_"I knew dat alweady."_

_Yondaime laughed a little. "How old are you, Kaliana?"_

_"I'm 4." She held out her fingers, thumb pressed against her palm._

_"Four years old…you're a big girl now, huh?"_

_"Not weally…" Kaliana trailed. "Four's not that big of a number."_

_Yondaime laughed again, this time at the way she talked. It was undeniably adorable._

_"You're very smart. Maybe someday you'll be a Hokage."_

_"My mommy wouldn't like dat…" She stopped to wipe a tear from her eye. "I miss her…but she's wit daddy now…"_

_Yondaime couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain in his heart._

_"You're a very brave little girl Kaliana."_

_Kaliana smiled at the kind man. "You have a nice face."_

_The 2 exchanged appreciative smiles. The office door opened and the caseworker, Tsume and Kakashi walked out. Kakashi seemed surprised to see his Sensei._

_"So, what's the word?" Yondaime asked._

_Kakashi and Tsume looked at each other and nodded._

_"Joint custody." Kakashi answered. "At least until I turn 18…at which time, she'll be 6 years-old and ready to be administered into the Ninja Academy." He turned to Kaliana. "That means that when I'm on a mission, you'll live with your Aunt Tsume and cousins Kiba and Hana; but when I'm not on missions, you'll stay with me. Is that okay?"_

_"An den I gets to be a ninja?" She asked excitedly._

_Kakashi smiled and scooped his niece up in his arms. "Yes, you get to be a ninja!" A tiny pang of guilt swept over him, but he quickly ignored it. Akita had to know it was inevitable. He kissed Kaliana's cheek. "You're going with your Aunt Tsume now, okay? I have a mission tomorrow."_

_"Where're you goin'?" Kaliana asked curiously._

_Kakashi looked up at his Sensei, then back down at Kaliana._

_"The Rock Country."_

_Kaliana was handed over to Tsume. She smiled warmly at her. She always smelled like milk bones._

_"Hi, Auntie Tsume." She said with forced sincerity._

_"Don't worry, Kali. He'll be back before you know it." Tsume answered, knowing how much Kaliana looked up to the young, white-haired Jounin._

_As they turned to leave, Kaliana cupped her hands over her mouth and called back to him._

_"Unc-o Kakashi!"_

_Kakashi and Yondaime turned to the sound of her tiny voice._

_"Be carefo!" She waved her arms. "Don't lose an eye or somefing!"_

* * *

_That same evening, on the train headed towards the Rock Country, Kakashi pulled a recent photo of his niece out of his pocket. He stared at it for a long time. Rin thought her teammates' affection for his niece was endearing, but Obito felt otherwise._

_"Why did you bring that?" Obito inquired coldly about the photo. "It will only distract you."_

_"You may see it as a distraction…I see it as motivation. I will come back from this mission alive, for her." Kakashi answered, not tearing his eyes from the photo._

_Obito sneered and got up, standing tall over Kakashi. He stared into his teammates' face through his goggles, his eyes narrow._

_"Mark my words, Kakashi. You've bitten off more then you can chew with this. That niece of yours will now and forever be a distraction on you and every mission you ever go on. What about the people you pawn her off on, huh? Ever think of them? I'm sure you sister-in-law has more important things to worry about with her own kids then worry about YOUR niece. She'll always be a distraction to everyone around you! You've even got Yondaime Sensei worried about her! How are we supposed to focus on this mission when everyone is worrying about that…**GIRL?**" He finished with a sneer._

_Kakashi snapped his head up, offended and fuming with hatred. "Take…that…back…" He growled as he slowly got to his feet, his fists clenched._

_"Hey, come on, guys!" Rin interrupted. "If anything is a distraction on this mission, it's because of you two fighting each other all the time; NOT Kaliana! Give it a rest already, would ya?"_

_The boys ignored her completely._

_"**TAKE IT BACK, OBITO!**" Kakashi shoved his teammate firmly in the shoulder with the palm of his hand, causing Obito to stumble backwards and fall hard against the wall of the speeding train._

_Obito pulled himself up immediately and charged back, but was stopped short when Yondaime appeared before him._

_"What's going on in here?" Yondaime asked in a stern tone._

_Obito leaned over slightly to get a good view of Kakashi's face from the opposite side of their Sensei._

_"I'll never take it back." He hissed. "Because it's true…and you know it."_

_"**Obito!**" Yondaime snapped. "I think you'd better go out and get some air." He motioned with his head towards the door, which lead to a small, outdoor space secured by iron bars._

_Yondaime then turned to Kakashi._

_"Its over. Sit down now."_

_Kakashi reluctantly returned to his seat, Yondaime pulling up a seat next to him. Even Rin scooted closer in hopes that her company may comfort him. It did tremendously.  
-----_

_Obito turned with a grunt and left the car of the train. He leaned against the railing, looking up at the night sky. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to suppress the ill feeling that ached in the pit of his stomach._

_I have a really, really bad feeling about this mission…but no matter what, I'll never take back the truth. I'd rather give him my left eye then take back what I said about that cursed niece of his…_

**END OF ACT II**

* * *


	9. ACT III: Ch:1 Welcome Home

_**Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound**_

_**Act III: Decisions**_

**_CH. 1: "Welcome Home, Uncle Kakashi"_**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**1 year later**

Kaliana sat on the front porch of her Aunt Tsume's home, swinging her legs to and fro with much anticipation. Every few moments, she'd glance up hopefully, then sadly return her eyes to the ground. It had been an entire year since she'd seen her uncle. He'd come home from the Rock Country several months ago, but for some reason, he wouldn't come and pick her up. Apparently, he was recovering from some kind of surgery, and this worried Kaliana. Not only that, but she and her cousins Kiba and Hana were sent away to a neighboring village because of an attack on Konoha. Kaliana was told that a fox demon had attacked the village, but everything was safe now. She hated to be left out when it came to important things, like why the kind Hokage Yondaime was killed during the vicious attack, or why her uncle was taking so long to come and get her. He had called last week and promised to pick her up next week…and today was next week, so Kaliana sat and waited patiently.

She snapped her head around when she heard the door click open. Tsume stood in the doorway, drying a glass with a rag.

"Kaliana, why don't you come inside and wait? I made sandwiches." Tsume tried to lure her with the thought of food, as the little girl hadn't eaten anything that morning, and it was already afternoon.

"No thank you, Auntie Tsume, I'm not hungry." Kaliana declined politely turning her face back towards the road. She pulled her bag of personal items closer. "He promised…" She whispered to herself.

Tsume let out a big sigh. _Poor girl…_

Suddenly, 4 huge dogs came bursting out of the house, causing Tsume to nearly fall over as they pushed passed her. They all surrounded Kaliana, tails wagging, tongues lolling and wet noses sniffing. Kaliana squealed and covered her face as the dogs licked her and whimpered excitedly.

"**HEY!** What're you doing? Get back in the house, now!" Tsume snapped at the mongrels, which reluctantly returned to the house. Tsume closed the door behind them.

She turned back to Kaliana, who now had her knees up to her face, blushing. Tsume took a seat on the porch next to her niece.

"I'm sorry I don't like dogs." Kaliana whimpered, turning her face away embarrassingly.

"Well, they seem to like you!" Tsume smiled, putting her arm around Kaliana. "Besides, it's not like you're the only member of the Inuzuka clan who didn't like dogs. Look at your father. He raised horses…not a single dog in his life."

"I don't like horses either…they're scary." Kaliana mumbled, recalling how big and intimidating Katavi was.

Tsume laughed and pulled her niece close to embrace her. "Come on, Kali. I'm sure there's some kind of animal you like."

Kaliana thought to herself for a moment, then smirked. "Squirrels." She stated simply.

"…Squirrels? Why?"

"Squirrels are clean. They're always washing their little faces. I like clean animals. Dogs are dirty."

Tsume laughed to herself and shook her head. _What a little oddball..._

"You sure you don't want to come in?" She pressed.

"No…I'm waiting for Uncle Kakashi…he pwomised he'd…"

"Whoa…You want to try that word again?" Tsume interrupted.

"Promised…" Kaliana corrected herself. "He promised he'd come get me today…" She finished as tears started to form.

Tsume let out another sigh. Kaliana seemed so miserable without Kakashi, and Tsume herself felt powerless when it came to comforting her.

"Kaliana…I…"

"**MOM!**" The door flung open as Hana poked her head out, the dogs once again pushing their way through to sniff at Kaliana. "**KIBA'S EATING DOGFOOD AGAIN!**"

Tsume rolled her eyes, gathered the loose dogs and entered the house, closing the door behind her. Kaliana once again found herself alone on the stoop, waiting…

* * *

She lifted her eyes to the sky. It was beginning to get dark. She sniffled and wiped her nose as the chilly evening air was beginning to blanket Konoha. The click of the doorknob made Kaliana flinch, as she knew a demand to return to the house was eminent.

"Kaliana, come inside. It's getting dark." Tsume ordered.

Slowly, the toddler got to her feet, her cold hands still gripping her bag of items. She kept her head down as she slowly walked up the stairs. She placed her right foot inside the doorway. Suddenly, she retracted and whipped around, peering eagerly into the darkness. Tsume, too, looked out on the twilight horizon. There, from the shadows, approached Kakashi.

"**UNCLE KAKASHI****!**" Kaliana exclaimed as she leapt off the porch and ran towards him.

Kakashi stopped and lifted his head upon hearing his nieces' voice. He smiled beneath his mask…it was the only time he'd smiled since he said goodbye to her at the Child Welfare Center. He slowly got down on one knee, holding his arms wide open while Kaliana leapt into them, throwing her own arms around his neck and hugging tightly. Kakashi returned the embrace.

"Kaliana…I've missed you so much…"

"I missed you too, Uncle Kakashi! I knew you'd come get me today! I just knew it! Auntie Tsume didn't think so, but I knew you would!" She looked into his face, but it was too dark to see much of anything, with the exception of the general shape of his head and hair.

Tsume sighed in relief and leaned against the doorway, very pleased to see her niece so happy after being depressed for an entire year.

"Hey, Kakashi!" She called from the door. "Welcome back! Would you like to come in for some coffee?"

"Well, sure I'd love…" His sentence was cut short when Kaliana pulled eagerly at his collar, mumbling the word 'no' and shaking her head vigorously. "On second thought…" He continued. "I think I'd better just take her home."

"Well, alright!" Tsume called back. "Goodbye, Kaliana!"

"Buh-bye, Auntie Tsume! Thanks for everything!" Kaliana waved, watching her aunt disappear behind the door. She returned her attention to her uncle. "I'm starving! Let go home and eat!"

"Why are you talking funny?" Kakashi asked as he positioned his niece atop his shoulders. "Where's your speech impediment?" He inquired, noticing her correct pronunciation of the words 'for', 'starving' and 'everything'.

"Auntie Tsume helped me talk better." Kaliana gleamed proudly.

"Well, I don't like it." Kakashi half-joked. "Go back to talking cute again."

"No!" Kaliana snapped playfully. "I like sounding smart!" A thought suddenly entered her mind, causing a dramatic change in subject. "Uncle Kakashi, what happened a few months ago?"

"What do you mean?"

"Auntie Tsume brought me, Hana and Kiba to another village with a buncha other kids. They said something about a fox demon…"

"Oh…that…" Kakashi lowered his head, saddened by the memory of losing his Sensei. "You don't need to know about that until you're much older."

"But, I talk good now!" She pressed. "Doesn't that count?"

Kakashi gave a low chuckle. "No, it doesn't."

* * *

They approached the front door of his apartment. Kakashi knelt down to allow Kaliana to slide off his shoulders. They both entered the domicile, Kaliana flipping on the light switch. She was shocked to see that half of her uncle's face was bandaged.

"Uncle Kakashi! What happened?" She asked, running over to him and looking closely at his face.

"An accident." He answered simply. He proceeded to unravel the bandage, revealing more and more of his face with each moment.

Kaliana now noticed that the bandage wasn't for his face at all, but for his right eye. She squinted and stepped closer as the bandage fell to the ground.

"Wha…what is that?" She asked, not being able to tear herself from her uncle's new crimson eye, complete with a tiny scar both above and beneath it.

"It's called the Sharingan. It's exclusive to the Uchiha Clan, and can copy almost any form of jutsu."

"Well…why do YOU have it then? You're not from the Uchiha clan…" Kaliana suddenly recalled that Kakashi's teammate, Obito was an Uchiha. She shuddered, knowing that there was only way for her uncle to obtain such a thing. "UGH! You cut out someone else's eye and put it in your head? That's so nasty!"

"He gave it to me as a gift." Kakashi said with a shrug. "So, I took it."

"Yeah, but…it's still gross." Kaliana said with distaste. " I mean…it's not a medallion, or a watch, like what normal dying soldiers give to their teammates…it's a frickin' eyeball. That's downright macabre…"

"Well, fine." Kakashi tilted his hand band so that it covered his right eye, leaving only his left eye visable. He turned to his niece. "There. Is that better?"

Kaliana giggled. "Now, you look funny."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Uh-huh!"

Kakashi playfully grabbed his niece, flung her over his shoulder, and brought her into his bedroom, throwing her on the bed. She bounced, laughing with joy. Kakashi plopped himself on the bed next to her, leaned over the side and pulled a book out from under the bed. He handed it to her.

"What's this?" She asked curiously as she rubbed her hands over the tattered cover.

"It's a book about Kekei GenKai techniques. Your dad gave it to me when I graduated as a Jounin."

"He did? Wow… Well, what's a Kekei…whatever?"

"Kekei GenKai." He repeated. "Bloodline limitation techniques…they're jutsus that can only be performed by a certain Clan, like the Sharingan in the Uchiha Clan. It has a handseal guide and everything. It will teach you all about exclusive jutsus, so in case you ever come to battle someone with a Kekei GenKai, and they start to perform the handseals for it, you'll know to avoid it."

"But, I'm five. I can't read yet."

"I'll teach you. I have time."

"Really?"

"Yup…after this last mission, I'm kind of on vacation."

Kaliana couldn't help but smile. Finally, after so long, she had her uncle all to herself, if only for a brief time.

* * *

**2 years later**

Kaliana came bursting through the door of Kakashi's apartment. She peered around the living room. When she didn't see him, she looked out the window to the back of the house. Kakashi was sitting on a rock reading his book. Kaliana smiled slyly and crept outside.

Kakashi picked up his head and looked behind him. No one was there. He brought his head back down to his book. Suddenly, he felt something touch his knee. He lifted the book and a bright red, half-covered face lunged at him.

"Hi, Uncle Kakashi!" Kaliana shouted happily, her emerald green eyes sparkling with mischievous intent.

Surprised, Kakashi flew backwards and fell off the rock. Kaliana giggled while her uncle, who was still trying to regain his composure, stood up and brushed himself off.

"Kaliana, if I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I didn't sneak." She snickered. "Guess what?"

"What?" Kakashi asked sleepily.

"Guess!" Kaliana insisted.

"I don't know. Umm…you didn't get caught sneaking out of your Kunoichi class?"

Kaliana shook her head. "Of course I got caught. I always get caught. But that's not it! Try again!"

Kakashi sighed. "Uh…you finally perfected the Shadow Possession Jutsu Shikamaru has been teaching you?"

"Not yet. One more try." She leaned over, bouncing eagerly with anticipation.

Kakashi rolled his eyes, already beginning to tire of this game. "Did you set your little cousin, Kiba, on fire again?"

"It's not real fire…" She trailed. "It's just my Mimicry Jutsu…And that's not it either. Do ya give up?"

"Yes." Kakashi answered tiredly.

Kaliana reached into her pocket and pulled out a headband. She pushed it in her Uncle's face. "Take a look at this!"

Kakashi scratched his head with bewilderment. "A shinobi headband? Where did you get this?"

Kaliana rolled her eyes at the question. "I stole it from some guy after I cut his head off…where do you think I got it? I graduated, of course!"

"You graduated? They actually made you a Genin? Kaliana, you're 7! And not only are you 7, you never take orders, you never call your teachers 'Sensei' and you refuse to battle the other students! Why on earth would they pass you? Did you really cut some guys' head off and steal the headband?"

Kaliana started at her uncle for a few moments before speaking. "Yes, you caught me. I cut off Iruka's head and stole his headband." She tied the headband tight around her forehead then thrust her wrists at her uncle. "Take me in and throw away the key…seriously, it'll be more fun to escape from prison without it."

"Don't be a smarty pants." Kakashi snapped. "Exactly who was it that passed you? Couldn't have been Ms. Haseichi…"

"Ms. Haseichi is retiring...they're finally letting that old cow out to pasture." Kaliana grunted. "No, even better…the Old Man himself passed me!" She held her head up proudly.

Kakashi moaned. "Oh, boy…sometimes I think Sarutobi is getting too old for this job…" He turned and began to walk away.

"Where ya goin'?" Kaliana inquired.

"To talk to the Hokage and ask him why in the name of everything holy would he pass a little monster like you."

"Maybe I threatened him at knife point." Kaliana teased.

"Wouldn't be surprised." Kakashi mumbled to himself "Kaliana, go play with Shikamaru. I'm gonna straighten this out."

Kaliana shrugged and left the yard to visit with her Shadow-bending friend.

She had met Shikamaru a few years ago during the Kyuubi attack on the Village. The boy was only 2 years old, but like her, he was very smart for his age. Ever since they had met at the holding facility, they had become as close as brother and sister.

Kakashi, meanwhile, shuffled down the road towards the Academy to seek out the Hokage himself…

* * *

A little boy, about 5, lay on his stomach waving his arm back and forth. A dandelion 2 feet away from him matched the movements of his arm. The boy's concentration broke when he heard a twig snap. He sat up and looked around cautiously. He didn't see anyone. He leaned back to stretch, but found that something was in his way. He looked up and came face to face with Kaliana's bright, red mask.

"Hi, Shikamaru!" She jeered.

Shikamaru leaped forward and whipped around. Kaliana stood, probably smirking, with her hands innocently behind her back.

"Dang it, Kaliana, don't sneak up on me!" Shika shouted.

Kaliana shrugged. "Why does everybody think I'm sneaky?"

Shikamaru sat down across from his friend.

"Maybe it's because you are." He scoffed. He looked at Kaliana's head and noticed the shine of the symbol of the Leaf Village. He sat forward eagerly. "Is that a shinobi headband?"

Kaliana nodded. "Sure is! I graduated!"

"In your second year?" Shika lowered his head sadly. "I get to go to the ninja academy next year. I was hoping you'd still be there." He blushed and twiddled his thumbs. "I was hoping…we could graduate together."

Kaliana sat down near Shikamaru, who blushed even more.

"Don't worry, Shika. It's not like I'm moving or anything. We'll still see each other and practice our Jutsus together!"

Shikamaru got to his feet. "That reminds me. How's your Shadow Possession jutsu coming along?"

Kaliana blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "It…uh, still needs work."

"…You still can't do it, can you?"

"I…um…hey, check out all my fun new toys!" She abruptly changed the subject and emptied her pockets on the ground. The contents consisted of 5 shuriken, 3 kunai knives and a few tag bombs. "I got these for graduation…except for this one…" She picked one of the kunai. It looked older then the others. "I got this one from my Uncle Kakashi when I turned 4." She twirled on her finger.

"Lucky…my dad won't even let me look at his ninja stuff." Shikamaru sighed.

Suddenly, the kunai knife slipped. The blade ran across Kaliana's cheek, creating a clean slice into her flesh.

"Ow!" She shouted, dropping the knife and touching her face. She brought her hand away and looked at the blood on her fingers. "Oops."

"Kaliana, are you okay?" Shika asked worriedly.

"Yeah." She replied wiping the blood on the grass. "It's just a scratch. It's not deep at all."

Shika sighed in relief. Kaliana scooted towards him.

"Why? Were you worried about me, Shika?"

Shika blushed and turned away. "N-no. I just don't want blood where I practice my jutsu. That's all."

"Liar." Kaliana grunted.

Shika smiled bashfully. "Well, maybe I was a little worried…"

Kaliana giggled. The kids lifted their heads when they heard Yoshino's voice.

"Shikamaru! Lunch time! In the house!" Her words were brief, but crystal clear.

Kaliana and Shikamaru got up and brushed dirt off their knees.

"Wanna stay for lunch?" Shikamaru asked.

"What're you guys having?"

"What do you think?" Shikamaru laughed.

"Venison." They both said simultaneously with a chuckle.

"Sure." Kaliana grinned. She loved meat.

As they approached the door, they were greeted by Yoshino Nara.

"Oh, hello, Kaliana!" Yoshino smiled warmly.

"Hello, Mrs. Nara! Can I stay for lunch?"

"You sure can!" She turned her head towards the kitchen. "**SHIKAKU!**" Her voice screeched, causing both kids to jump and shudder. "**KALIANA'S STAYING FOR LUNCH! SET UP ANOTHER SPOT AT THE TABLE, NOW!**"

Kaliana dug her finger in her ear and shook her head. Even Shikamaru rubbed his temples, trying to massage the pain away.

"You think my dad heard her?" Shika asked.

Kaliana shrugged. "As long as he isn't piss-drunk in a corner somewhere."

"Oh, man…"Shikamaru winced. "Then I think we might want to plug our ears…"

* * *


	10. ACT III: Ch:2 What's Best for You

_**Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound**_

**_ACT III: Decisions_**

_**CH. 2: "What's Best for You…"**_

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**Later that Day  
**

"Ah, Sarutobi. There you are." Kakashi approached the Hokage from behind.

He turned and smiled, his withered face creasing up with the grin. "Hello, Kakashi. Here to speak to me about your mission to the Land of Snow?"

"Actually, no. I'm here about my niece." Kakashi stated simply. "Kaliana told me that you passed her."

"You are told correct."

"May I ask why?" Kakashi pressed.

"She deserved it." Sarutobi answered simply. "Why, don't you think so?"

"Not really." Kakashi admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "She doesn't follow orders very well at all…she doesn't fight anyone, and to be quite honest, she's only been here for a year and a half. How could you possibly justify her passing?"

Sarutobi closed his eyes and sighed.

"Kakashi, your niece is incredibly gifted. I've never in all my years seen a child as young as Kaliana have such amazing Chakra control."

"We **ARE** talking about the same little girl who thinks Homo-milk comes from Lesbian cows, right?" Kakashi double-checked, completely astounded that the Hokage himself felt so strongly that Kaliana deserved to pass.

Sarutobi chuckled lightly before continuing. "Yes, but that very same little girl can manipulate her chakra at an advanced level, and I think she's ready to be placed with a Sensei to hone her skills in Taijutsu, as that seems to be her point of interest…according to Gai at least. She's always spying on his private training sessions, you know."

"See? That's what I'm talking about…her lack of respect and stubbornness alone should be good enough reasons to leave her back; not to mention her lack of common sense. Remember last year when she handcuffed herself to my ceiling fan in an attempt to prevent me from replacing it with an air conditioner? She kicked the chair out from under herself, broke the cord, and spun around the room for 4 hours until I came home and freed her! You know what she said afterwards? She insisted that I buy a new air conditioner because she thought the ceiling fan was possessed!"

Sarutobi laughed again, but harder this time. "Give her a break! She's only a child! Her strengths outweigh her weaknesses, Kakashi." Sarutobi offered his wisdom.

"**What strengths!?**" Kakashi finally exploded. "Please share them with me! Is it her ability to out-stubborn a mule?"

"Are you going to tell me you were any less stubborn when you were a Genin?" Sarutobi challenged.

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "Look, that may be true, but think about it. Her mother…" He paused for a moment, as he always found it difficult to talk about his sister. "Her mother was a Professional school teacher, and her father was a Professional…idiot…Kaliana doesn't exactly have the background to be considered a ninja progeny."

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and turned away.

"Come with me, Kakashi. It's time you knew the truth about something…"

Reluctantly, Kakashi followed the old man into his office. Sarutobi took a seat behind his desk. Kakashi, too, seated himself. The Hokage leaned over, looking at the white-haired Jounin with great concentration.

"What can you tell me, Kakashi, about the Black Ninja Knight?"

* * *

**That Night…**

Kakashi rubbed his eyes tiredly. Of all things to be informed of…Kamachi was the Black Ninja Knight; the man of Legend, and Kakashi's personal hero. The white-haired Jounin couldn't believe it. All the times he'd beaten up Kamachi just for the fun of it…that man could've killed him at any time, yet he didn't even fight back. Kakashi felt terrible. All those mean and hurtful things he'd said about Kamachi were beginning to haunt him. The truth of the matter was…Kamachi was a better ninja then Kakashi could ever hope to be…and Akita never even suspected a thing. And Kaliana was just like her father…

Kakashi peered at the box in the corner that Sarutobi had given him that afternoon. It held Kamachi's Black Ninja suit; complete with an array of concealed weaponry, and a pair of boots loaded with hidden knives. There were some scrolls of forbidden jutsus as well as a small pendent on a chain, which Kakashi dismissed as a mere trinket. He had placed the box in a corner, lost in the oblivion of the shadows. Kaliana didn't need to know about it now. But, he knew he'd have to tell his niece someday about her elite father.

_Well, if not now_, he thought to himself, _then when?_

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the click of the door.

"Kaliana?" He called, his head turned.

"Yes?" She answered from directly in front of him.

He jumped back a little and groaned.

"I know, I know." Kaliana mumbled. "Don't sneak up on you like that."

"Yes. And I know…you didn't sneak." His eyes wandered to the fresh wound on his niece's face. "What happened to your cheek?"

"Nothing. It's just a scratch."

"You were twirling something sharp again, weren't you?" Kakashi asked sternly.

"Why bother asking questions that you already know the answer to?" Kaliana asked, crawling into her uncle's lap. "So, what'd the Old Man have to say?" She quickly changed the subject.

"Well, he firmly believes you deserve to pass…He even thinks I should take you on my next mission with me." He answered, comfortably wrapping one arm around his niece's waist.

"Yes!" Kaliana shouted.

"…But, I firmly believe that you're not ready."

"Oh." She groaned. "Uncle Kakashi…"

"Here, look at this. I got it in the mail a week ago." Kakashi cut her off and handed her a Cloud Village Kunoichi Academy brochure he'd pulled from his pocket.

She took it and began looking through it while her uncle continued to talk.

"The Hokage boasts about your great skills and split-second chakra manipulation, though at the same time, he thinks your Kunoichi skills are atrocious."

"Psh…I don't need to learn how to gather pretty flowers to be a great ninja." She groaned with distaste.

"That's not the point."

"Now, if the flowers had concealed biological weapons in them, that'd be a different story…"

"Kaliana!"

"Sorry…you were saying?" She giggled as she continued skimming through the brochure.

"There were also a few complaints from Gai. You were caught spying on his training sessions again. Maybe one day you'll be one of his students, but you can't go around watching people train like that. It's irritating as well as creepy."

"I woulda gotten away with it if it weren't for that bushy-browed rat that keeps tattling on me. What's this word?"

"'Academic'."

"Oh. Okay, go on."

"The point is, your Kunoichi skills need a lot of work. And, well, I decided…"

Kaliana leapt off her uncle's lap upon the realization of his actions. "You decided to send me _**here**_!?" She shouted, pointing to the pamphlet.

"Kaliana, it'll boost your skills to a higher level and they specialize in weaponry. You like that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, but why can't I do that here? With you?"

"Because your kunoichi teacher _here_ made me sign a restraining order! Kali, this school would be best for you and me. I mean, at least there, you won't have to worry about me holding you back because I'm afraid you'll hurt yourself, and I won't have to worry about you every time _I_ go on a mission. You should consider yourself lucky to even be involved in any ninja academy. If you mother were alive she'd…"

"Don't…talk…about…her." Kaliana interrupted, her eyes building up with tears.

Kakashi stopped for a moment, knowing he hit a nerve.

"All I'm saying is, this school is huge, it has the most students of any ninja school, and you'll get lots of help."

"I don't need help. I need to stay here with Kiba Cub, Shikamaru and you!"

"Kaliana, try and understand…"

"**You** understand! I need to be with my friends! I'm **NOT** going!"

"I've…already signed you up." Kakashi said quietly.

Kaliana stood shocked upon hearing the words fall from his lips. "You what?"

"I signed you up last week. They're sending a few Chunin to pick you up tomorrow morning. I already packed for you."

Kaliana shook her head; the tears beginning to flow from her large, jade-colored eyes.

"How could you?" She whimpered, crinkling the paper in her hand.

'Kaliana…"

"**No! No!** **I ****hate**** you**!"

That said, she turned and stomped to her room, throwing the crumpled up brochure on the floor. Kakashi flinched when he heard a slam…then a snap, then a crash, followed by a low, 'crap'. Kaliana stomped out of her room, walked past Kakashi and reached into a drawer. She pulled out a screwdriver then trampled back towards her room.

"Door fall off the hinges again?" Kakashi asked, face buried in his hands.

"Duh." She grumbled. "I still hate you."

* * *

The next day, a group of 3 Kunoichi in matching uniforms knocked on Kakashi's door. He answered with an exhausted look on his face. It had obviously been a long night.

"Kakashi Hatake. We are here to retrieve Kaliana Inuzuka and escort her to the Hidden Cloud Village's Kunoichi Academy." The tallest girl said, handing him a uniform that matched her own.

Kakashi took it slowly, as though he weren't sure if he wanted to go through with this at all. "Yes. Give me a minute. I just need…"

"Step aside, Uncle Kakashi."

Kakashi turned to see Kaliana, her luggage in hand. The kunoichi quietly commented among themselves.

"That's her?" One whispered.

"She's so puny!" Another answered, eyeing the little girl.

"She sure doesn't look like much." The last one mumbled. "Maybe we should've brought a smaller uniform."

Kakashi knelt near his niece and handed her the outfit, which she snatched without a second thought only to disappear behind the door to change.

"I thought about it, Kaliana. You can return in a few months with your assigned team to take the Chunin exams here." Kakashi offered.

"No." She replied coldly.

"What? Why not?"

She stepped outside suddenly, adorned in her new uniform that was about 3 sizes too big, and glared at her uncle, her eyes glazed and emotionless.

"I will **NOT** return to take the Chunin exams. You will not see me again until I am a full-fledged Ninja. The next time I return, it will be as a Jounin. I refuse to come home until I am worthy in your eyes." Her voice was mature for her young age, and her eyes were focused and stern. Kakashi could tell already that she had abandoned her childish behavior and donned a new, adult personality.

"Oh, Kaliana. You are worth…"

Kakashi stopped when he noticed his niece remove her precious Genin headband. She dropped it at his feet.

"Keep it." She whispered. "You can give it back when you feel I deserve it."

Kakashi picked up the headband, shocked and hurt. "Kaliana…" He tried to whimper out, reaching slowly for her face.

"Good bye." She interrupted, pulling away.

That said, Kaliana walked away and joined the Kunoichi Chunin down the road towards the Lightening Country and the Village Hidden in the Clouds. She wanted so badly to turn back and throw her arms around her uncle. She wanted him to comfort her. But she stayed stubborn as always and disappeared from sight amongst the tall shinobi. Try as she might, there was no hiding the hot tears streaming down her face.

Kakashi held back his own tears and retreated into his house, clutching the headband to his chest. He shut the door and, with an exasperated sigh, he dropped himself into his sofa and covered his face.

_I wish there were some way of knowing that what I'm doing is really the right thing…_

* * *

* * *

Kaliana looked up at her new peers as they passed the "Leaving Konoha" sign at the edge of the village.

"So, what kind of styles and techniques are taught at this Kunoichi Academy anyway?"

Her question went ignored. She tried asking a different one, hoping to engage someone in conversation, as the awkward silence was too much for her to bear. "Are all the Sensei's female?"

Again, her question went unanswered. Kaliana growled in her throat. "**HEY!**" She shouted. "I'm **NOT** talkin' to myself here!"

The Kunoichi stopped walking. They looked down on Kaliana with malice in their eyes. The 3 girls Kaliana was walking with a moment ago suddenly disappeared in clouds of smoke. In their places, stood hooded ninjas, only one of them being a girl.

"Silence." The girl hissed.

"From now on, you will speak ONLY when spoken to." The next voice belonged to a man.

Kaliana felt a twinge of fear. Her eyes traveled over all the ninjas that accompanied her. She noticed the headbands that they wore around their waists…the symbol of the Sand Village boldly shimmering in the sun. She winced as she looked up at the man who ordered this new 'no-talking' rule.

"…Does that rule apply if I talk to myself?" She grinned sheepishly at her own inquiry.

The shinobi who accompanied her didn't find her antics amusing, and one of the men showed his distaste by punching the 7-year-old in the face without warning. The sudden blow sent her hurdling into a large rock, the back of her head cracking against it with incredible force.

Kaliana lay on the ground, distraught and motionless. She wearily watched as the group moved towards her vulnerable body, snickering menacingly.

"Sleep tight, Little Hound." The second man chuckled.

The last things she saw were the sandals of the ninjas standing over her. Then, Kaliana lost consciousness.

* * *

**END OF ACT III**

**END OF ****"LITTLE SPARK: INTRO TO FIRE HOUND"**

* * *


End file.
